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We Have Footage Showing Varnika Kundu Being Chased By The Accused, Say Chandigarh Police

Damning evidence?
Commuters driving during the dust storm and strong winds, on April 22, 2017 in Chandigarh, India.
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
Commuters driving during the dust storm and strong winds, on April 22, 2017 in Chandigarh, India.

In a development that might help the Chandigarh police nail the accused in the stalking case allegedly involving Haryana BJP leader Subhash Barala's son Vikas Barala and his friend, the Director General of Police told the Indian Express that cops now have footage that shows Varnika Kundu, daughter of an IAS officer, being chased by the suspects in a Tata Safari.

"We have procured footage establishing that the victim was being chased by accused in a Tata Safari. I cannot divulge the source of footage... these are either the police's CCTV cameras or those privately installed," DGP Tejinder Singh Luthra told the paper.

Yesterday, it was reported that the CCTV cameras on the stretch of road in which Kundu was chased on the intervening night of 4 and 5 August, allegedly by Barala and his Ashish Kumar, were non-functional.

The CCTV footage could be the evidence the police needed to nail Barala, a member of whose family took to Facebook soon after the incident to victim-shame Kundu and accuse her of driving under influence.

"The Chandigarh Police have retrieved footage of five CCTV cameras on the route, capturing the chase of victim's vehicle by the alleged vehicle of the accused," another Chandigarh Police officer told the Hindustan Times.

Barala and Kumar allegedly followed 29-year-old Kundu, who is a DJ, while she was driving home at around 12:30 am, cornered her several times to intimidate, and even tried to open the door and enter her car, while she frantically tried to call the police — a nightmarish experience she detailed on Facebook, leading to outrage from both social media users and from the political community, demanding senior Barala's resignation.

Chandigarh Police too came under scrutiny for dropping key sections from the FIR dealing with a bid to abduct, a non-bailable offence, despite Kundu telling the SHO that that was the intention of the accused. The accused were released on bail within hours of arrest.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.