Law Student Accuses Chinmayanand of Raping Her for Over a Year, Claims She Has Evidence

Addressing media persons with her face covered on Monday, the law student who had accused former Union Minister Chinmayanand of sexual assault, alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party leader had raped her for over a year.

She also alleged that the Shahjahanpur Police in Uttar Pradesh had refused to register her complaint, forcing her to register an FIR at the Lodhi Colony police station in Delhi. She said in the press conference, “Swami Chinmayanand raped and exploited me physically for one year. I have sufficient evidence to prove Chinmayanand guilty and all of them will be handed over to the SIT at the right time. I had to post a video just for my family’s and my own safety, else Chinmayanand would have got us killed.”

The LLM student claimed that the evidence is in her hostel room, which has been sealed. She said, “I have every evidence… go and open my hostel room.”

The woman’s account was heard by the Supreme Court in a closed hearing. Following this, the apex court had ordered the UP government to set up a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to inquire into her allegations. It had also directed that she and her brother - who was doing his LL.B at the same college here - should be transferred to another institution, as per reports.

However, she added that the SIT, too, did not support her. "On Sunday, the SIT quizzed me for about 11 hours. I have no problem with that. I have told them about the rape. Even after I told them everything, they haven't arrested Chinmayanand yet," she said. "Here I was running for my life, and the DM of Shahjahanpur threatened my father that you must see against whom you are filing a complaint," she added.

Reportedly, on August 22, the law student had posted a video on social media alleging that “influential leader of the sant community” was harassing and threatening to kill her. A day after she had posted the video, the girl was reported missing from Shahjahanpur.

Also read: Former BJP MP Chinmayanand Booked As His Accuser Goes Missing

Following her father’s missing complaint, who had accused the BJP leader of harassing his daughter and other students, Chinmayand was booked under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the IPC on August 27. The law student was later found in Rajasthan on August 30, and produced before the Supreme Court, which took suo motu cognisance of the matter.

The SC decision came after a plea from a group of lawyers, who had requested initiation of proceedings over the matter of the missing law student to avoid a repeat of the Unnao incident, wherein the victim’s father was framed by the accused. "We as a society can't allow another Unnao case to happen," the appeal had said.

The SC then formed a Special Investigation Team to look into the matter on September 2. As per reports, the team has visited the woman’s hostel in Shahjahanpur as well as the accused BJP leader’s ashram to collect evidence.

Meanwhile, Chinmayanand has denied all charges and said that he was being framed while addressing the media at a press conference on September 4.