Accused of stalking, Haryana BJP leader's son appointed law officer
Chandigarh (PTI): BJP MP Subhash Barala's son Vikas Barala, accused in a case of stalking, has been appointed as a law officer in the office of the Haryana advocate general, officials said on Wednesday.
He has been appointed as an assistant advocate general and will represent the state government before judicial platforms in the national capital. His appointment is part of a broader recruitment of 100 law officers by the government, which was officially notified on July 18.
The incident leading to the charges against Vikas occurred in 2017 when his father was the Haryana BJP chief.
Vikas and his friend Ashish Kumar had been charged with stalking and attempting to kidnap a senior IAS officer's daughter by a court here in October 2017. The trial in the case is ongoing before a Chandigarh court.
The complaint in the matter was filed by the daughter of a senior IAS officer, who was 29 at the time of the incident. She had then accused the men of stalking and attempting to abduct her.
On August 5, 2017, Vikas, who was 23 at the time and a law student, along with Kumar, had allegedly followed the complainant's car in their SUV and tried to block the way.
The charges against them were framed under various Sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including 354d (stalking), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 365 read with 511 (attempt to kidnap).
Initially arrested on the night of August 4-5, 2017, they were released on bail as their charges were bailable under the IPC and the Motor Vehicles Act. They were later re-arrested on August 9, 2017, after cooperating with the investigation, but received bail again from the high court in January 2018.
Vikas appeared for a law examination on December 18, 2017, while in police custody, after being granted bail specifically to take his exams.
In June, the state government had constituted a 'selection committee' under the Haryana Law Officers (Engagement) Act, 2016 for finalisation of the selection process for engagement of 100 law officers -- which included 20 Additional Advocate Generals, 20 Senior Deputy Advocate Generals, 30 Deputy Advocate Generals and 30 Assistant Advocate Generals, in pursuance to advertisement dated January 31.
Haryana's Advocate General, Parvindra Chauhan and Vikas Barala were not reachable for comments on the appointment.
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Cong leader Prithviraj Chavan defiant after facing verbal missiles on Op Sindoor remarks
Mumbai (PTI): Despite facing criticism, senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Wednesday stood by his controversial comments that India faced a "total defeat" in aerial fight with Pakistan on the first day of Operation Sindoor on May 7.
The former Union minister refused to apologise for his comments on the Indian military operation against terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK in aftermath of massacre of tourists at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir in April.
Talking to reporters in Pune on Tuesday, Chavan claimed India faced a "total defeat in the aerial fight (with Pakistan) on May 7 which lasted for half-an-hour".
"One may believe this or not. After that the Indian Air Force got grounded and not a single aircraft took flight that day.... be it Gwalior, Bhatinda or Sirsa, there was a possibility of aircraft being shot down, so our complete Air Force was grounded," the former Maharashtra chief minister had said.
Hitting out at Chavan, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde accused the Congress of speaking the language of Pakistan. He said questioning the military action was akin to demoralising the morale of armed forces.
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"The criticism does not stem from the love of the nation, but love for Pakistan," said the chief leader of the Shiv Sena, a key constituent of the BJP-led NDA.
Chavan, however, remained defiant.
"There is no question of apologising. The Constitution has given me the right to ask questions," the Congress veteran asserted.
Chavan also questioned the need of having a 12-lakh strong Army when future wars will be about aerial combats and missiles. "During Operation Sindoor we saw that there was no movement of the Army even for a kilometre," he had said.
BJP Lok Sabha MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra said Chavan's remarks are loaded with sedition.
"He (Chavan) has refused to apologise. The Indian armed forces struck 100 kms inside the Pakistan territory and destroyed 11 air strips (of the Pakistani Air Force). He made remarks that the Indian Army did not even move an inch (during the military operation). This is nothing but a statement full of sedition, a statement of a traitor," Patra said, lashing out at the Congress leader.
The BJP spokesperson maintained the Congress appears to be standing with Chavan and alleged the Opposition party is playing into foreign hands.
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra should apologise for it, he added.
Union minister Giriraj Singh of the BJP insisted it was not right to devalue the valour of Indian armed forces.
Samajwadi Party MP Virendra Singh suggested that wherever armed forces are concerned, every Indian should be mindful of statements they make and ensure their comments do not demoralise the military.
Operation Sindoor was a result of "mistakes of politicians", he claimed.
TDP MP Krishna Devraylu said after the poll defeat in Bihar, the Congress is rattled and their leaders have been talking absurdly.
"Chavan's remarks are a prime example of this. This kind of disrespect to our armed forces is not necessary. If the Congress is angry with the NDA, it should show it in a different way and not drag armed forces into it," Devraylu opined.
AAP MP Ashok Mittal said such statements should not be made by any senior politician, especially by someone who has been a former chief minister.
The Indian armed forces registered a strong victory and destroyed terror launchpads in Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, Mittal added.
