Not all lucky as my daughter, we must fight back: Father of 'stalking' victim

New Delhi: Following the national furore over the case of a woman being stalked by the son of Haryana BJP state president Subhash Barala, the father of the victim took to social media and called on the nation to fight against such crimes, or forever face injustice for their own daughters.

"If we do not persist in trying to bring the guilty to justice, more and more daughters will suffer this hurt. Maybe some may not be as lucky as her. Someone has to stand up. We are standing. So long as we can," he said in a Facebook post.

Vikas Barala was arrested on Saturday on the charges of stalking and harassing the IAS officer's daughter in Chandigarh. He was however, granted bail on the same day.

The IAS officer narrated the entire incident and thanked the Chandigarh Police for helping them.

"I would like to share with you all a horrendous experience we went through last night. My daughter was returning home around midnight yesterday in her car when a couple of goons started following her in a Tata safari... They tried to block her car at the traffic signal, but she showed presence of mind and sped away. Chandigarh police was pretty efficient and helpful. They intercepted the goons, were responsive to her distress calls, and were neutral in filing the complaint," he said in Facebook post.

He further said the goons tried to abduct his daughter but she escaped due to her courage and presence of mind.

"As would be expected, the goons are from influential families. We all know most such cases of harassment go unpunished and even unreported. Most people would not want or dare to take on goons from influential families. I feel if people with some privileges like us cannot stand up to such criminals, nobody in India can," he added.

Earlier, the victim thanked Chandigarh Police for rescuing her on time, and pointed out that if she was a common man's daughter the case would not be taken so seriously.

Meanwhile, Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar said it was not right to punish the BJP leader Subhash Barala for his son's crime.

"I came to know about this incident. Chandigarh Police has filed the complaint and I believe they will take appropriate action. This matter is not related with Subhash Barala but with an individual. So action would be taken against his son," Khattar told media.

A case was registered by the Chandigarh Police against Vikas and other youth under under Section 354 D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 185 (Motor Vehicle Act) of the CRPC on the basis of complaint filed by the woman.