Police summons Vikas, he fails to turn up; father says he will reach soon

Chandigarh, Aug 9 (PTI) The Chandigarh Police today summoned Vikas, the son of Haryana BJP leader Subhash Barala, to join the investigation into alleged stalking case against him filed by a city-based woman. Vikas, who was asked to appear by 11 am at the sector 26 police station, did not turn up, a police official said, even as his father insisted that “he will soon reach Chandigarh and will cooperate in the police investigation”. DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra said Vikas (23) refused to receive the notice so, the police pasted it outside his house. Addressing a press conference this morning, the said CCTV footage from different places of the Friday night incident indicated that the accused were chasing the girl. The DGP said Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar (27), who were earlier arrested and granted bail, had refused to give blood and urine samples for medical examination which could go against them during prosecution. With the Chandigarh Police facing questions over its handling of the case, Luthra stressed they will do “everything under the sun” to ensure the 29-year-old complainant gets justice. Meanwhile, Haryana BJP Chief Subhash Barala said his son Vikas Barala will soon join the police investigation. “He will soon reach Chandigarh and will cooperate in the police investigation,” he said. A large possse of policemen was deployed at the sector-26 police station, where Vikas was asked to appear. Congress workers staged a protest outside the police station alleging that the police had buckled under political pressure and was shielding Vikas. “The police was under political pressure in the case,” said a Congress activist. They continued with their protest after Vikas Barala did not turn up. Meanwhile, the DGP, who appeared before the media for the first time since the case involving the daughter of an IAS officer was reported, said they had “sufficient” CCTV footage in connection with the incident. “The accused are law graduates and they are well versed with the law. They refused to give samples (of blood and urine) to the duty doctor. Because they know that under law, they can refuse this,” Luthra told reporters here. “However, in such circumstances, when anyone refuses to give samples, then this thing goes against them during investigations and during court trial,” the DGP asserted. “In the present case also, this refusal (to give samples) will go against the accused and will also be used against them during the course of investigations and during trial also,” he said. “Whatever steps fall in our domain pertaining to the investigation and collection of evidence, we will collect all these and ensure that the victim gets justice,” he said. “I can assure that we will take every such step to ensure that justice is done to the victim,” DGP said. PTI