BJP leader Chinmayanand, accused of rape, questioned for 7 hours

New Delhi: Former Union minister and BJP leader Chinmayanand who has been accused of rape by a 23-year-old law student was questioned by the police on Thursday night. The interrogation came nearly a month after the woman and her family went public with rape and blackmail allegations against the leader.

Chinmayanand was questioned for seven hours by the Supreme Court-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Uttar Pradesh police, reported NDTV. According to sources, his questioning began at 06:20 pm on Thursday and went on till 01:00 am.

According to sources, the BJP leader was questioned about the allegations of the woman that he filmed her, blackmailed her and sexually assaulted her for a year.

The interrogation of the leader came a day after the woman’s father claimed that the crucial evidence that could corroborate their claims had gone missing. The father said, “My daughter had safely kept the evidence against the accused in her hostel room which was later sealed on court orders. When the Special Investigation Team (SIT) opened the seal on September 9, some of the evidence was missing from the room.”

Read | ‘Evidence’ against Chinmayanad missing from student’s hostel room: report

He also claimed that there were 12 videos that would prove the "murky side" of the saint-turned-politician and that the "police are working overtime to save him since he is a close friend of Yogi Adityanath".

Read | UP student claims to have given 'evidence' against Chinamayanand in pendrive

The police have yet to file a rape case against the Chinamayanand, who runs several ashrams and institutions.

The allegations against Chinmayanand came to light when the woman posted a video on Facebook in which she insinuated that the leader had harassed and threatened her. In the video, she sought help from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. A day after posting the video, she went missing on August 24. The woman’s father, however, named the leader and said he sexually exploited her.

A week later, the woman was traced in Rajasthan. The apex court asked the police to produce woman hours after she was found and spoke to her in a closed hearing on the same day. Later, the top court appointed an SIT to investigate her allegations against the leader.

On Thursday, an SIT member denied that the woman was questioned for nearly 11 hours and said that it fully intended to question Chinmayanand.

Read | Rape accused BJP leader Chinmayanand summoned, will be probed: report

The woman, in her 12-page complaint said that she met Chinmayanand in June 2018 for admission in a law course at a college which he runs. She alleged that he took her phone number and arranged her admission. He also called her and offered her a job at the college library for Rs 5000. The woman worked in the library while continuing classes since her family was poor.

“He asked me to move into the hostel in October and later invited me to his ashram,” the complaint added.

The woman claimed he showed her a video of her bathing in the hostel and threatened to make it “viral” and forced himself on her. She said the leader also filmed the rape and used it for blackmail. The assaults continued until July this year.

On September 5, she filed a complaint with the Lodhi Road Police Station in Delhi as she had “lost faith in the Uttar Pradesh police” since they denied registering her complaint.