Geetika case: Ex-Haryana minister Kanda surrenders

On the run for the past ten days, controversial former Haryana Minister Gopal Kanda surrendered before the police early Saturday morning in connection with the suicide of his former employee Geetika Sharma, the night after Delhi high court rejected his anticipatory bail plea.

After a dramatic build-up in which his brother was arrested on Friday night, Kanda surfaced at Ashok Vihar Police Station at 4 AM hoodwinking police personnel deployed across North-West Delhi to arrest him before his surrender following speculation that he might give in.

Soon after Kanda emerged from a van with media stickers in front of the police station, some policemen rushed out and took him inside. "Kanda has surrendered and we have arrested him," P Karunakaran, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West), told PTI.

Before entering the police station, Kanda told media persons, who were waiting there anticipating his surrender, "I came here on my own will to help the investigation."

The anticipatory bail plea of Kanda was dismissed by the Delhi high court on Friday, which said that despite being a "free man" he himself did not file it and it was a "sufficient" ground for its rejection.

Kanda, who was last seen coming out of his Gurgaon residence on August 8, was served with a notice to join investigations on August 7.

Geetika's brother Ankit alleged that Kanda's surrender was a "pre-planned drama" and the government was helping him.

Hours before his surrender, Kanda's brother Govind came to police station at midnight to inform police that the former minister will surrender. However, police arrested Govind on charges of harbouring

Half an hour later at 12:45 am, his lawyer also came to the police station and said that Kanda will surrender in 10 minutes. Police stepped up vigil but Kanda managed to evade police deployed to catch him and came to the police station.

Kanda's surrender came 13 days after Geetika committed suicide in her Ashok Vihar residence. Delhi Police had conducted over 60 searches and raids in several places in Haryana, Goa and Siliguri in West Bengal, besides questioning around 30 people in connection with the case.

Kanda's employee, Aruna Chaddha, a senior functionary with now defunct MDLR airlines, has already been arrested and is in judicial custody.

In her suicide note, Geetika had alleged that Kanda and Chaddha were harassing her to rejoin the former minister's firm after she left the job.

Reacting to Kanda's surrender, Geetika's brother Ankit said, "This is a planned and well thought out entry. Now my only fear is that the investigations will be impartial of not. 12 days is enough to destroy evidence. Whatever power Kanda could have used to tamper with evidence he has. The investigation should be transparent."

"I want his interrogation to be done before camera and a retired judge so that he does not change his statement," he said.

Ankit said Geetika's Facebook account has been deactivated and alleged that Kanda was behind it.

"I have informed the DCP about it. I don't know who or how it was done.Kanda is behind it," he said.