SIT examines woman’s friends, college staff

SHAHJAHANPUR: A special investigation team (SIT) probing the alleged rape of a law student by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chinmayanand examined three male friends of the woman and some employees of her college on Sunday.

The friends examined included the one who was with the 23-yearold woman when she was located in Rajasthan after having gone missing from Uttar Pradesh late last month.

He and the two others were also present inside the car in which she had made her video recording, narrating her ordeal.

The SIT also examined the principals of the woman’s alma mater — a law college and a postgraduate college — both located on the campus of Mumukshu Ashram of former Union minister Chinmayanand.

The SIT also examined two other college employees who had been summoned on Saturday, but had failed to turn up for recording of their statements.

The woman’s father, meanwhile, termed the leakage of the video footage given to the SIT by his daughter as a “conspiracy” and said he would request the Supreme Court to order a probe into it.

“From where have the screenshots and videos come to the social media? The screenshots have been posted on various social media platforms. These were given to SIT by my daughter. This is a conspiracy,” he said.

The law student had on Saturday given a pen drive containing 43 videos to the SIT to support her allegations after investigators asked her to submit whatever evidence she had against the former Union minister.

The SIT, set up on SC orders, had taken the woman to Chinmayanand’s bedroom on Friday morning and had collected various pieces of evidence.

Chinmayanand, meanwhile, got support from self-styled godman Omji, who threatened rebellion by Hindu society if a case is registered against the BJP leader.

“If any false case is registered against Chinamayanand, then crores of Hindus will hit the streets throughout the country and rise in rebellion,” said Omji, who was also a contestant in reality TV show Bigg Boss.