india

Updated: Sep 15, 2019 17:32 IST

The Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Sunday resumed questioning of former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of raping a 23-year old studying law in a college run by the former BJP leader. Three youths who were seen in a video with the complainant and the principals of Law College and PG College were also being quizzed at the SIT’s police line camp office in Shahjahanpur.

The development came two days after the SIT along with the forensic team inspected the bedroom in Chinmayanand’s ashram in the presence of the woman complainant who, on the same day, handed over a pen drive to the probe team claiming it had video evidence against the former minister.

Swami Chinmayanand reached Shahjahanpur the SIT’s camp office at around 3 pm. Besides him, three boys—former students of SS Law college and SS PG College and their principals are also been interrogated. The three boys were spotted with the complainant in a video.

An official privy to the matter said, “The SIT is investigating rape allegation against the former minister and also an extortion case filed by the minister. Role of the youth spotted in the video is required to be ascertained.”

Meanwhile, the SIT is also expected to verify the law student’s claim that she was regularly taken to Chinmayanand’s room and the fact was known to the entire college.

Earlier, Chinmayanand was grilled for eight hours on Thursday night. Later, in the wee hours of Friday, sleuths sealed Chinmayanand’s bedroom at his Shahjahanpur hermitage (ashram).

On Friday, after the SIT inspected the Chinmayanand’s room, the girl recorded a statement supporting her rape allegations under Section 161 of CrPC.

A day later, the woman said, “The SIT asked me to identify the room where a video was shot to blackmail me and I have done so.” The woman reportedly told the SIT that the interior of the room had been changed.

Meanwhile, Chinmayanand’s lawyer Om Singh said, “Swamiji is cooperating with the SIT. We have full faith in the investigation team. We want the truth to come out. A room in the ashram was sealed, which was opened on Friday evening after the SIT and the forensic team completed their inspection.”

The SIT also opened the sealed hostel room of the 23-year-old complainant where she had claimed to have kept evidence against Chinmayanand in her and her father’s presence. Her father later said it appeared that someone had searched the hostel room before it was sealed as some of the evidence was missing.

The SIT, headed by the inspector general of police Naveen Arora, was formed on September 3 on the directions of the Supreme Court.