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Chinmayanand case: Woman accuses Shahjahanpur DM of pressuring her father
The Shahajahanpur woman, who has levelled sexual harassment allegations against former union minister Swami Chinmayanand, on Monday accused the local district administration
The Shahajahanpur woman, who has levelled sexual harassment allegations against former union minister Swami Chinmayanand, on Monday accused the local district administration of pressuring her father and family members so that they would withdraw their complaint.
“The Shahjahanpur DM told my father to think of the consequences before filing the complaint against Chinmayanand. It was done to put pressure on me and my family,” said the woman, while speaking to media persons in Shahjahanpur on Monday. Shahjahanpur district magistrate Indra Vikram Singh declined to comment on the accusation.
The woman said she had filed a rape complaint against Chinmayanand at a police station in south Delhi on Saturday morning before returning to Shahajahnpur later that evening.
Superintendent of police, Shahajahnpur, S Channapa denied any knowledge of the rape complaint lodged by the woman in Delhi.
On Sunday, the Special Investigation Team (SIT), formed by the UP police on the direction of Supreme Court to investigate the allegation, questioned the woman.
“I was interrogated for over 11 hours by the members of SIT. I told them everything about the case honestly and now it is up to them to conduct a fair investigation,” said the woman who is studying law at a college run by Chinmayanand’s trust in Shahjahanpur.
The woman’s father, who was also quizzed by the SIT team, said, “Our statements were recorded before a camera but the SIT officials used to switch it off when we told them important things about the case. This was also done at the time of interrogation of my daughter and son.”
The SIT team is headed by inspector general (IG) of police Naveen Arora.
“We were quizzed for over 11 hours without any break. They asked the same questions again and again,” the woman said. The father said that they will complain about this matter in court.
When asked about the youth with whom she was said to have eloped, the woman said, “He (the youth) is my brother. The news about us being in a relationship and (that we) have planned this thing is false.” The youth has faced allegations of making an extortion call to Chinmayanand.
She declined to speak further on the matter.
The woman was accompanied by her father when she interacted with media persons.
“I have all the proof to back my allegations and I am ready to cooperate with police in the investigation. I don’t want any other girl to suffer like me,” the woman said.
She also said, “I had to flee to Delhi for my security because I don’t trust the local police here. They have been questioning me and my family but have not arrested Chinmayanand yet.”
The issue surfaced when the woman went missing on August 24, a day after she posted a video on the social media alleging that a “senior leader of the seer community” was harassing and threatening to kill her. She did not name Chinmayanand in the video.
A senior home department official said the SIT was constituted to probe two cases, one lodged by the woman’s father about her abduction allegedly by Chinmayanand and the other by the BJP leader about him being allegedly blackmailed.
Chinmayanand has been booked on charges related to abduction for murder and criminal intimidation.
