His arrest came after a complaint by the 23-year-old law student who had accused Chinmayanand of blackmail and rape by posting a video message on the social media on August 23.
BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, accused of raping a student, being taken for medical check-up in Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. (Photo: IANS)
BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand, who was arrested in connection with the alleged sexual harassment of a UP law student, was on Friday sent to 14-day judicial custody by a local court in Shahjahanpur.
The 73-year-old politician was earlier in the day arrested from his Mumuksha Ashram in Shahjahanpur by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the rape charges against him.
His arrest came after a complaint by the 23-year-old law student of the Swami Shukdevanand Law College student in Shahjahanpur, who had accused Chinmayanand of blackmail and rape by posting a video message on the social media on August 23.
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The next day she went missing and was later traced to Rajasthan on August 30.
The Supreme Court, which heard the girl in a closed hearing, had directed the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the allegations made against Swami Chinmayanand.
The law student had appeared before the press two weeks back alleging that she was raped and exploited for over a year by the BJP leader.
She had threatened to end her life if Chinmayanand was not arrested. She said that it had been over 15 days since she recorded her statement but the Special Investigation Team (SIT) had not yet arrested the accused.
The law student had given a pen drive containing 43 videos to the SIT to support her allegations after the sleuths asked her to submit whatever evidence she had against former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand.
Chinmayanand is a three-time Lok Sabha MP and was a minister of state in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. In 2011, he was accused of rape by an inmate of his ashram. When she got pregnant, the BJP leader allegedly forced her to have an abortion.
Meanwhile, the SIT probing the case has also arrested three youth related to the alleged rape victim for extortion call to Chinmayanand.
The three — Sanjay Singh, Vikram alias Brajesh and Sachin Sengar alias Sonu — have been arrested under the IT Act and for destroying evidence and extortion, said Uttar Pradesh Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh.
Chinmayanand’s staff had disclosed to the SIT that the three intended to extort money from Chinmayanand and were trying to negotiate with them.
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