Sonika Chuahan’s friends happy, hope now justice will prevail

KOLKATA: Model Sonika Singh Chauhan’s grieving parents Vijay and Sharon on Friday said they have faith that the truth will be revealed and justice will prevail.

Sanjay Basu, their lawyer, said, “Firstly, I appreciate the character and patience which Sonika’s parents have shown since they lost their daughter on April 29. Their grace and dignity is an example we can all learn from. Days like today reaffirm the common citizen’s faith in the law of the land, the administration, the police and the over-all system.”

Model-turned-actor Rachel White described it as “a step forward” in the right direction. “I hope justice prevails. No family has to go through this struggle of seeking justice after they’re already dealing with the loss of a life,” White said.

Soon after the arrest, actor Shaheb Bhattacherjee’s social media post attracted attention. Bhattacherjee wrote that though some people thought there was light at the end of the tunnel, they didn’t know it was that of an oncoming train.

Designer Abhishek Dutta said the morning news came as a “pleasant surprise”.

“Two days back, I had a discussion with Shaheb on this issue. He was quite depressed about the whole thing. Vikram’s arrest before Sonika’s birthday on July 12 is a true gift to her parents. They have been broken down fighting with the system. I hope justice is se-rved finally.”

“Crime cannot go unp-unished. At one point, it seemed that justice would elude her. But now, I am really happy that justice might be finally served,” said model Satarupa Pyne.

Vidhi Khanna was woken by a phone call from a close friend on Friday morning. The news her friend shared was something she had been awaiting for the past 69 days. Vikram Chatterjee had been arrested. “Words are not enough to express what I am feeling right now. It was such a long wait that we were on the verge of losing hope. But the news of the arrest has filled us up with hope that justice will prevail,” said Khanna, an entrepreneur and Sonika’s friend.

“The news is still sinking in. It is the result of relentless fight for justice for our beloved friend,” said Tina Mukherjee, Sonika’s friend.

Sonika’s friends had been mobilising support online to demand justice for her. “We have spent the last 69 days only thinking about her and thinking how to get her justice,” said Ananya Dutta, Sonika’s classmate.