UP Police arrests Swami Chinmayanand, accused of raping a law student

Lucknow | Chinmayanand, the 72-year-old BJP leader accused of rape by a 23-year-old law student, has been arrested by a special team of Uttar Pradesh police and taken to a Lucknow hospital for medical examination.

He was taken from his residence in UP’s Shahjahanpur.

Following his arrest in the rape case, Chinmayanand was taken for a medical examination. The case is being investigated by the SIT set up by the Uttar Pradesh Police on the directions of the Supreme Court.

“Swami Chinmayanand has been placed under arrest,” a senior UP police officer said.

Shahjahanpur: BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand has been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual harassment of a UP law student. pic.twitter.com/gxZxr81qN6

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) September 20, 2019

Chinmayanand’s arrest comes after the police questioned more than 30 people over the last few days including classmates of the woman.

Woman threatens self-immolation

Meanwhile, the woman who accused Chinmayanand of sexually assaulting her for a year threatened to immolate herself if the SIT did not book him for rape. She said it had been two days since her statement was recorded before a magistrate but the SIT had not made it clear if the BJP leader was going to be booked for rape.

“Even two days after I recorded my statement before a magistrate, Chinmayanand has not been arrested. If the government is waiting for me to die, I will sprinkle kerosene on my body and immolate myself,” the student had said. The special investigation team probing had on Monday taken the woman before Judicial Magistrate to record her statement.

The women, a postgraduate student at one of Chinmayanand’s colleges, had alleged that she was raped and physically exploited for a year by the former Union minister. She had submitted more than 30 videos in the court as evidence for her sexual exploits.