A survivor of the infamous Chandigarh stalking case Varnika Kundu has started a change.org petition for making stalking a non-bailable offense.
The Quint also sponsoring the petition. Once the petition hits 1,50,000 signatures, Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor will present it as a private member’s bill during the Winter Session of Parliament.
It will also be delivered to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi.
The 29-year-old Varnika was stalked and harassed by two men in an SUV in Chandigarh on August 5, 2017. The two men were initially charged under section 354 D (stalking) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and section 185 of the Motor Vehicle Act. They were also charged under sections 341, 365 and 511 of the IPC.
Vikas Barala, one of the accused, is the son of a Bharatiya Janata Party leader. Barala and his friend Ashish Kumar did not face any serious repercussions for their actions for the first offense of stalking is a bailable one. Following the public uproar, they were later charged with attempted abduction, and have repeatedly been denied bail since.
Citing NCRB data, the change.org petition says that over 80% of people accused of stalking are given bail before the charge sheet is filed.
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