SIT to probe political activists’ role

LUCKNOW : At a time when Chinmayanand and the accuser woman are planning to move the high court for bail, the special investigation team (SIT) probing the cases is focussing on some Shahjahanpur based political activists of a political party.

As per the probe panel, three local political workers who had access to Chinmayanand were allegedly present at the same hotel in Dausa in Rajasthan on the day when the woman, who accused former minister of rape, was recovered along with her friend. The woman earlier had alleged that she had a pen drive that was snatched away by someone in Dausa. Later, she handed over a copy that pen drive to the SIT last month.

An SIT official said, “As per the investigation so far, one of these three local youths who are close to ruling party leaders snatched the pen drive from the woman.”

One of them is relative of Vikram, who is already in jail along with the woman and two others Sanjay and Sachin for an attempt to extort money from Chinmayanand. An official said he is believed to be the person who made one of them (woman and her accomplices) record a video in which they were talking about the extortion message.

Meanwhile, the district court Shahjahanpur on Monday heard the case against the woman and three others and fixed the date of next hearing on October 26.

Chinmayanand has been booked under Sections 376C (Sexual intercourse by a person in authority), 354 D (stalking), 342 (wrongful confinement) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.

The woman and three others were booked for extortion, and under Sections 506 (criminal intimidation), 201 (disappearance of evidence), 35 (criminal act done with a criminal knowledge or intention) of IPC and 67 of the Information Technology Act.