Predator alert: Women hounded, assaulted in Tricity

Chandigarh: Despite the high-profile case of stalking and attempted abduction of the daughter of a senior Haryana bureaucrat making national headlines, nothing much has changed in the city. On an average, two to three cases of molestation and sexual harassment have been reported in the city in a week.

Recently, the UT police arrested three persons, including a Punjab police constable for stalking and trying to kidnap a woman from Mohali in Sector 35. The accused were arrested under almost the same sections of the

IPC

in which Vikas Barala and Ashish Kumar were arrested.

Varnika

Kundu, daughter of a Haryana IAS officer told the police that Vikas Barala and his friend stalked, restrained and tried to abduct her when she was on her way home in her car on the intervening night of August 4 and 5. She alerted the police and the accused were nabbed by PCR cops near the housing board lightpoint.

Sector 26 police arrested them under bailable sections and released them a few hours after that. Following sharp reactions from society and the media, UT police arrested them again and booked them for the abduction bid. Since then, the accused have been lodged in Burail jail.

The Varnika Kundu case came as an eye-opener for both the police and the public. Women in the city started reporting molestation and stalking cases, which were previously swept under the carpet.

A total of 58 cases of rape have been reported till date this year and 122 cases of kidnapping and abduction of minor girls and women have come to light till October 31. Besides, 94 cases of sexual harassment and molestation were also reported by city women this year.

Unsafe December

December 17: Sector 31 police arrest two drunk youths for allegedly molesting a BSc second year student and assaulting her brother when they stopped to buy food from a vendor on the road dividing sectors 29 and 31

December 17 | Three drunk men, including a Punjab Police constable, chased a woman in her car in their SUV for around 2km, while passing lewd comments. They tried to kidnap her after blocking her way in Sector 36 around 12.30am

December 16 | Police arrest three Panjab University (PU) students for allegedly passing obscene comments at a girl near girl’s hostel number 3

December 22: Sector 36 police arrest three drunk men for allegedly molesting a 28-year-old woman bouncer and trying to snatch her scooter at the Sector 43 bus-stand. The woman caught one of them while the others were arrested later

Varnika Kundu case

August 5: Case registered at Sector 26 police station, both accused arrested

August 5 : Accused released on bail

August 9: Police add sections of kidnapping bid and arrest them again

August 10: Police produce accused in court, which remands them in two-day police custody

August 13: Accused sent to jail after police custody

September 22: Police submit chargesheet against Barala and Ashish in stalking case

October 13: Court frames charges against the accused


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