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Rape charges                                                        against former Union Minister Swami

                                                                           Chinmayanand only after the woman,
                                                                           who accused him of rape, threatened
       against key BJP                                                     self-immolation.”
                                                                             “It was the strength of the public and
                                                                           journalism  that  Chinmayanand  had
                                                                           arrested.” She tweeted.
                                                                             “The BJP government is so thick
       leaders put UP                                                      skinned that it did not take action till the
                                                                           rape victim said that she will self-immo-
                                                                           late herself. This is the strength of the
                                                                           public and of journalism that the SIT had
       govt in tight spot                                                  to arrest Chinmayanand,” Priyanka ob-
                                                                           served. “The public has ensured that ‘Beti
                                                                           Bachao’ does not remain in mere slogans
                                                                           but becomes a reality on the ground.”
                                                                             The BJP leader was arrested by the
                                                                           SIT of Uttar Pradesh police from his resi-
       Opposition parties grill the      such grave matters only after judicial   dence in Shahjahanpur on 20 September
                                                                           2019, weeks after a law student at one of
                                         intervention following a bid and threat
       saffron party on involvement      to commit suicide. The entire efforts of   his colleagues accused him of frequent
       of its high profile leaders such   police seem to water down the gravity   rape and sexual exploitation. After a
       as Kuldeep Singh Sengar and       of charges as they have diluted the grave   month long turns and twists that have
                                                                           made national headlines, both Chinma-
                                         ingredients of rape (Section 376) into
       Swami Chinmayanand in             Section 376-C of IPC which means sexual   yanand, 72, and the woman law student,
       such heinous crimes, reports      intercourse not amounting to rape by a   23, have been arrested.
                                         person in authority.
       mudit mathur                        On August 28, former BJP MP Swami
                                         Chinmayanand was booked for kid-
               he Yogi Adityanath-led BJP   napping and criminal intimidation
               government has come under   after a 23-year-old law student, who had
               severe attack from Opposition   accused the leader of sexual harassment
               parties at the way state police   in a viral video, went missing but he was
       T handled rape cases registered   finally arrested on 20 September 2019
       against its high profile prominent leaders    after much uproar from political parties
       Kuldeep Singh Sengar (MLA) and Swami   and social activists.
       Chinmayanand. In both the cases, victims   The Opposition leaders alleged that
       of heinous crime had to pay the price for   the entire government machinery was
       coming forward for seeking justice.   trying to shield Chinmayanand as he is
          In Sengar case, local police impli-  a close associate of RSS family who was
       cated victim’s father in a fabricated case   three-time BJP MP and was holding the
       and beaten him to death in police cus-  charge of minister of state for internal
       tody and further she struggled for life in   security in the Atal Behari Vajpayee gov-
       AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sci-  ernment in 1999. He was a member of the
       ences) after an alleged attempt to destroy   Lok Sabha from Jaunpur constituency in
       evidences wherein a witness in the case   Uttar Pradesh during the period. He was
       died on the spot in the accident and her   one of the pillars of Ram Mandir move-
       Advocate also suffered fatal injuries and   ment and arrested with Uma Bharti,
       still admitted there.             Mahant Avaidnath, GM Loda and Ashok
          In Chinmayanand case, victim has   Singhal on 25 October 1990 at Gonda. He
       been arrested under the charges of ex-  aggressively led VHP delegations before
       tortion and blackmail along with her   Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
       friends by Special Investigation Team   Attacking sharply, the Congress leader
       (SIT) headed by IG rank officer Naveen   Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on 20 Septem-
       Arora. The police took cognizance of   ber said, “The government took action



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