A Chandigarh district court on Friday charged Vikas Barala, the son of Haryana Bharatiya Janata Party chief, and his friend Ashish with abduction, wrongfully restraining, and stalking city-based disc jockey Varnika Kundu, a case that caught national attention and stirred the larger debate over women safety.
Varnika, 29, daughter of Haryana Additional Chief Secretary VS Kundu, had alleged in a police complaint that Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar, who was also charged with abduction by the Chandigarh District Court today, were drunk and had stalked and intimidated her and tried to abduct her on the night of August 4-5.
The two accused were arrested on August 9 and have been in judicial custody since then.
Both were booked under non-bailable offences, including attempt to abduct Kundu under Section 365 (kidnapping or abduction with intent to confine person) and Section 511 (attempt to commit offence punishable with life imprisonment) of the Indian Penal Code.
(With Agency Inputs)
