The Special Investigation Team looking into allegations against former Union minister Chinmayanand said on Wednesday that it was going through every aspect of the charges against the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, ANI reported. The team’s leading official, Naveen Arora, said they were not going to be “influenced by some person or a media trial” to arrive at a conclusion in the case.
“We are calling all the people concerned to record their statements,” Arora said. “We are trying to collate all the evidence including documentary ones. We are investigating the matter from every angle to assure there are no shortcomings on our part.”
The SIT chief asked the public to give the investigators more time and trust the team looking into the case. “You will have to have faith in some investigating agency,” NDTV quoted Arora as saying. “If the investigation is going in the wrong direction, the High Court will monitor us. They are authorised to take our statements. We do not need to hand out certificates to prove ourselves.”
Arora also refused to speak about modifications to the first information report against Chinmayanand, and said that no one had been arrested yet.
The complainant – a law student from Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur district – had gone missing soon after she posted a video, on August 24, detailing her ordeal. The Uttar Pradesh Police on August 27 booked Chinmayanand on kidnapping charges. The student was found in Rajasthan on August 30, and produced in Supreme Court.
Earlier this week, the 23-year-old had claimed that she possessed about 35 videos that will implicate Chinmayanand. The woman said that she used to wear glasses with a hidden camera when she used to be called to the former BJP MP’s residence to give him “a massage”. Chinmayanand is the president of the law college where the woman studied.
On Wednesday, the law student questioned the delay in investigation and threatened to commit suicide if Chinamayanad was not arrested immediately. “Even two days after I recorded my statement before a magistrate, Chinmayanand has not been arrested,” she said, according to PTI. “If the government is waiting for me to die, I will sprinkle kerosene on my body and immolate myself.”
The complainant’s father also said that the SIT had been unable to explain why it was not registering an FIR against Chinmayanand after the woman filed a complaint in Delhi. On September 3, the SIT was formed by the Uttar Pradesh Police to investigate the case after the Supreme Court’s order.
Meanwhile, Chinmayanand was admitted to a government hospital in Shahjahanpur after he complained of uneasiness. “After his condition became bad, he was shifted to the medical college hospital and admitted in ward number 8,” Chief Medical Superintendent Dr MP Gangwar said. The rape accused was also treated for uneasiness and weakness on Monday night.
Now, follow and debate the day’s most significant stories on Scroll Exchange.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!