Haryana BJP Chief's Son Admits To Chasing Chandigarh Woman, Say Sources

Chandigarh: Vikas Barala, the 23-year-old son of a top BJP politician in Haryana, has admitted during his questioning that he was following the car of Varnika Kundu on Friday night, sources said today.

Vikas Barala, the son of Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala, was arrested yesterday after being charged with trying to kidnap Ms Kundu.

After interrogating him for nearly three hours, the police said it has CCTV evidence and witnesses against Vikas and his friend Ashish, who had earlier been let off on bail but now face up to seven years in jail.

Varnika Kundu, the daughter of a bureaucrat, had posted on Facebook a harrowing account of being chased for several kilometres by Vikas and his friend Ashish on Friday after midnight. The 29-year-old DJ said they blocked her car, banged on her window and even tried to force open her door. The chase was caught on six CCTVs, the footage showing a white SUV racing behind Ms Kundu's black sedan.

Vikas and Ashish were let off within hours of their arrest, because they were only charged with stalking and drink driving. The two had refused to give their blood and urine samples the night they were arrested. Sources in the home ministry say a doctor was called to examine them and he noted that they reeked of alcohol.

After Ms Kundu's Facebook post went viral and led to massive public outrage, the spotlight was on the police, which was accused of trying to dilute the case under pressure from the state's ruling BJP.