Haryana stalking case: ‘We shall not, ever, back out or stand down’, says survivor’s dad

“We promise all the people and the groups supporting us that we shall not, ever, back out or stand down, irrespective of hardships or pressures,” an IAS officer, whose daughter was allegedly stalked and harassed by Haryana BJP chief Subhash Barala’s son Vikas Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar, wrote on his Facebook wall on Monday.

Clearing the stand of his family on the incident—which occurred on Friday night in Chandigarh, Haryana IAS officer Virender Kundu wrote that “we will not interfere with the investigation or the prosecution, just as we do not want the accused to influence the investigation in any way. The police and prosecution should be allowed to do their job. We will join investigation whenever required by the police. We will contest in the court if we feel the charges are diluted or inadequately framed.”

“Our target is to ensure that the guilty are brought to book. They are adult men, students of law, who are fully aware of the consequences of their actions, and hence must be appropriately punished. We want them to be punished for the offences they have actually committed, and awarded punishment commensurate with their culpability. Not over punished, but definitely not under punished either,” he wrote.

“It is unfortunate that the families of the accused have to face hardship. We do not hold them responsible for the crimes of these men,” the post read, adding that “we firmly believe that after 70 years of Independence and democracy, the legal system of our country is mature and geared up to deliver justice. Dispensation of justice should not require anything from the complainant except that she speak the truth at all times, and does not back out. We promise that. The protection and prevention system of Chandigarh police works, and Varnika is alive and safe today as a proof of its working. We expect the judicial system to work just as well.”

Maintaining that it was a cut and dried case where there was nothing hazy or unclear in terms of actions or identities, he went on to add: “if the system fails to deliver justice, then there is something deeply rotten in our society, our government and our country. Then we all need to look into ourselves, question our honesty as well as patriotism, and see where we have led our country to.”

He further wrote: “In my mind, the issue is not of Varnika being assaulted or two specific criminals to be punished. The issue is, does our country allow a woman to live as a free and equal citizen, and if she is wronged, does it give her enough confidence to even claim justice? If not, we are no better than a lawless, barbaric society.”

Earlier, in another post he wrote that he was proud of his daughters, Varnika Kundu, Satvika Kundu and Sucheta Kundu. “You have chosen to take on the worst form of chauvinism manifested in our society. My difficulties on account of this decision are nothing compared to yours. We will not let criminals or their stooges affect your value system, or the quality of the life you have chosen for your selves,” he said in the post.

“We thank everyone for their support. The media has helped spread awareness about the crime, and avowals of support and solidarity have poured in from everywhere. Social media fora have activated a huge number of groups in support of our cause. We are overwhelmed by this expression of togetherness with us, and we are feeling as if a sea of humanity has joined us in the struggle,” he wrote in another post this morning, noting that “it had generated a tremendous amount of awareness about the issue of safety of women in the world's largest democracy, and we have a feeling of significant achievement.”

“Our target is to make sure the guilty men are appropriately punished. It is unfortunate that the families of these men are being targeted,” he said addressing the media. “The culprits are adult men, who are law students. They know very well the legal consequences of their actions. They are not immature kids. They are fully responsible for their crime. I do not believe the parents of these men are responsible for their crimes. Unless they try to sabotage the prosecution.”