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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
Tehelka / 31 october 2019 22 www.Tehelka.com

