New Delhi: The Congress on Monday accused the Union Home Ministry and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of covering up the Chandigarh stalking incident by controlling the Chandigarh administration and the police.
"Investigative officer Satish Kumar, Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) East Chandigarh, himself has said in a press conference that this is a case of kidnapping and outraging the modesty of a woman. He also said that these offences are non-bailable. This meeting took place at 2:30 pm. But at 5 pm there was another press conference meet by Kumar, and there he termed the matter as stalking and wrongful restrain," Congress leader Randeep Surjewala said while addressing a press conference.
He reiterated that that the Chandigarh administration and Chandigarh Police is directly controlled by the Home Ministry and the BJP, in order to protect its leader and his son is conspiring the entire matter to cover up the issue.
He added that Kumar also mentioned that the case falls under Sections 365 and 511 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and it can lead to 7-10 years of imprisonment.
"The accused followed the victim for seven kilometers and tried to block her way. They even tried to break into her car. Does this not fall under the case of kidnapping and abduction? Does this not prove that the difference in the statement of the Chandigarh Police shows the dictates of BJP?" Surjewala questioned.
He further said that the police proceeded to lodge a case under 'bailable' offences on the direction and diktats of the Union Government which is trying to cover up the matter.
"Now it has come that five CCTV footage of five different cameras out of seven which have covered the entire incident, have gone missing. Will the BJP Government and the UT administration answer? How is it that all of sudden all those cameras stopped functioning? Will Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah answer to the nation as to why BJP state president and his children are being protected in this fashion?" Surjewala asserted.
Vikas Barala, the accused, 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.
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.
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar assured Vikas will be punished once found guilty.
"I have complete faith on the Chandigarh Police. Justice will prevail. The accused will be punished once found guilty. This is my official stand on this matter. This case has nothing to do with Subhash Barala. Such act is highly condemnable if proved correct," the Chief Minister told the media here.
Narrating the horrific ordeal, the girl, who is the daughter of an IAS officer, told the media she was lucky for not being the daughter of a common man.
"I'm lucky, it seems, to not be the daughter of a common man, because what chance would they have against such VIPs? I'm also lucky, because I'm not lying raped and murdered in a ditch somewhere," the woman wrote in a Facebook her post, pointing that the two men she accused of perturbing her "are from influential families with political connections," she said.
