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Ex-BJP MP Swami Chinmayanand booked for allegedly kidnapping UP law student
The woman, a student of SS Law College in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, has been missing since she posted the video on her Facebook page on August 24. Three-time MP Chinmayanand is chairman of the college.
Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand was on Tuesday booked for allegedly kidnapping a female law student after the woman, in a video that went viral on social media, accused “a big leader of the saint society” of threatening her and “destroying the lives of several girls.”
The woman, a student of SS Law College in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur, has been missing since she posted the video on her Facebook page on August 24. Three-time MP Chinmayanand is chairman of the college.
The girl’s father complained to the police, accusing Chinmayanand of putting his daughter through an ordeal.
Director general of police (DGP) OP Singh said, “On the basis of a complaint filed by the victim’s father, we have registered a case against Swami Chinmayanand for alleged kidnapping, and threatening the victim’s family.”
The DGP added that the UP Special Task Force (STF) had been asked to join the investigation and teams sent to different locations to trace the student. “We have some vital clues through electronic surveillance and are confident of tracing her very soon,” he added.
In the video she posted on her Facebook page, she said: “I’m from Shahjahanpur and am pursuing LLM from SS College. A big leader of the saint society, who has destroyed the lives of several girls, has been issuing me life threats. I have all the evidence against him.”
She appealed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath for help. “I request Modi ji and Yogi ji to help me. He (the saint) has even threatened to kill my family. Only I know what I have been going through. Modi ji, please help me, he is a sanyasi and is threatening that the police, DM {district magistrate} and everyone else is on his side and no one can harm him. I request you all for justice.”
A policeman, requesting anonymity, said, “She didn’t name Chinmayanand directly but hinted towards him. Her father has mentioned the former Union minister’s name in his complaint.”
The father of the woman said in his complaint that her mobile phone had been switched off since August 23. “My daughter is missing for the last four days. When I spoke to Swami ji, he did not talk to me properly. I request the government to do justice. Her mother had gone to see her room on the college campus but that was locked,” he said.
The father of the woman has demanded that her room be opened in front of the media and authorities.
The mother of the woman said she met the family on August 15 but did not tell them about any issues. “But my daughter said if her phone goes off, it means she is in trouble,” she said, adding, “Though she did not tell me anything, she was looking a little upset.”
SS Law College principal Sanjay Kumar Baranwal said, “See, this is not a big issue. Her house is around 2 km from the hostel. She had been visiting her house off and on. So when she was not in the hostel, we thought she might have gone home.” Now that her father has approached police, let the police find the woman, he added.
A former disciple and manager of Mumuksh Ashram run by Chinmayanand had filed a first information report against him on November 30, 2011, alleging that she had been held captive, raped and assaulted for several years by him. On March 9, 2018, additional district magistrate (administration), Shahjahanpur, Sarvesh Dixit, sent a letter to a senior prosecution officer, directing him to move a petition in court for withdrawal of the case. The plea was turned down by the chief judicial magistrate.
Chinamayanand’s lawyer Om Singh said, “My client has nothing to do with the missing of the girl. He is also concerned about her going missing.”
He added, “My client is a victim of blackmail and extortion as he received one message on August 22 to give ₹5 crore as extortion money. The blackmailer had threatened him to circulate some video which could tarnish his image.”
The lawyer said the police had been informed of the message on the same day and a case filed on August 25.
Senior superintendent of police of Shahjahanpur S Chinappa said, “We have detained a youth in connection with the extortion call and are interrogating him.”
