Bharatiya Janata Party leader Chinmayanand finally broke his silence on the allegations of harassment against him by a Shahjahanpur law student, on Wednesday, 4 September.
Addressing the media, he said he is satisfied with the Supreme Court’s order and the truth will come out in the Special Investigation Team's (SIT) probe. The people who tried to conspire against me will get an answer, he added.
“We were trying to change our college into university. We were on the verge of finalising a date for a meeting with the chief minister for the same. This matter was raised during our preparations for the university. I don’t know who are these people who are trying to hamper the development of Shahjahanpur,” he further said.
Father of the Shahjahanpur law student had said that his daughter has kept all evidence against the BJP leader safely in different locations, and it will be handed over to the SIT once the investigation begins, IANS reported.
SIT Probe Ordered
The Supreme Court had ordered an SIT probe into the allegations of sexual harassment and kidnapping made against Chinmayanand on Monday. The Uttar Pradesh government, on Tuesday evening, set up the SIT under Inspector General of Police (Public Grievance) Naveen Arora. He will be assisted by Bharti Singh, IPS, commandant of the 41st PAC Battalion, Ghaziabad.
Arora will have the freedom to select other officials in his team to probe the allegations levelled against Chinmayanand by the law student, along with FIRs registered in Shahjahanpur in this matter.
Meanwhile, the BJP leader's lawyer Om Singh said his client is innocent and is being framed. "The allegations will not hold water in court," he said.
On the directions of the Supreme Court, the law student will stay in Delhi till 12 September, while her parents are expected to return to Shahjahanpur under security of Delhi Police, after appearing in the apex court on Wednesday.
The 23-year-old law student had posted a video on Facebook on 24 August in which she alleged that the former Union minister had exploited many girls, including her, and that she possessed proof of her allegations, after which she went missing.
Her father then filed an FIR against Chinmayanand under IPC Sections 364 (abduction) and 506 (criminal intimidation). The law student was traced to Rajasthan’s Dausa district on 30 August.
On the orders of the Supreme Court, a UP Police team accompanied her from a hotel near Mehndipur Balaji temple in Dausa and produced her in the Supreme Court the same day.
(With inputs from IANS)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)