The message from the Chandigarh stalking case is clear: if you are a woman harassed by a politically powerful man, do not bother to go looking for justice. Not only are the law enforcement systems skewed in his favour, the social and political environment in which they operate is also against you. Long before the case reaches the courts, if it ever does, social media trials will have established your guilt and their innocence
On Friday night, 29-year-old Varnika Kundu made a distress call to the police, saying two men were following her in a car and had attempted to abduct her as she drove from Chandigarh to nearby Panchkula. One of the men was Vikas Barala, 23, son of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s Haryana unit chief president, Subhash Barala. Both men, believed to be drunk at the time of the incident, were duly arrested on Saturday but released on bail within hours. CCTV cameras that could have captured evidence were allegedly not working at five places along the route. The police also dropped more serious charges against the accused men, booking them only for bailable offences. By Monday, the police were facing accusations of diluting the case under political pressure.
Indeed, it did not take long for political defences to kick in. Harayana Chief Minister Manhohar Lal Khattar, also of the BJP, said “appropriate action” would be taken but his party colleague could not be punished for the alleged offences of his son. Most of the party closed ranks behind the Haryana chief, saying there was no question of him resigning. While one leader insisted she should not have been out at night, the senior BJP leadership in Delhi maintained a studied silence.
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Click below to see the video. source :India tv