A video purportedly showing former Union minister Chinmayanand naked and receiving a massage by a woman has surfaced on the Internet.
The video purportedly shows Chinmayanand undressing and receiving a massage from the woman in different positions.
A website which posted screenshots from the video claimed that it was shot by the woman herself through a camera fitted in her spectacles.
The BJP leader came under fire after an LLM student levelled harassment charges against him. The girl, on Tuesday, alleged that he raped her and physically exploited her for one year.
‘Attempt to Ruin His Image’: Chinamayanand’s Lawyer
Chinmayanand's lawyer Om Singh said the video is an attempt to defame his client. "I am sure the video is not authentic and should be sent to forensic lab for test. Action should be taken against such people who are trying to ruin the image of Swami ji,” he said as quoted by The Times of India.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) formed to probe the allegations of the 23-year-old law student against the former minister opened her hostel room in Shahjahanpur on Tuesday. The room had reportedly been sealed after she claimed that adequate evidences were present there to prove the rape allegations.
Three articles were reportedly missing from her hostel room. The SIT also examined 'Divya Dham' area at Chinmayanand's ashram, where the student was allegedly raped for the past one year. The survivor was also questioned. However, she said that the Shahjahanpur police was not registering the rape case.
‘Ruined Many Girls’ Lives,’ Survivor Alleges
Earlier, the SIT on Sunday quizzed her for 11 hours. They also recorded statements of her family members.
On the FIR registered by Chinmayanand’s lawyer alleging that she was demanding Rs 5 crore, she said, “It should be probed. This is a fake allegation. He (Chinmayanand) has ruined lives of many girls. I can’t tell the exact number. I am the only one to muster the courage and stand up,” she said, reported PTI.
Video Alleging 5 Cr Extortion from Chinmayanand Surfaces Too
Meanwhile, another video surfaced on Tuesday night, purportedly showing four young men and a woman planning to extort money from from Chinmayanand, IANS reported.
However, Chinmayanand’s name does not figure in the interaction among the five.
Neither are there any leads to tell when and where the video was filmed. Sources claim that the video was made after 24 August in or around Delhi.
However, Chinmayanand's lawyer, Singh on 22 August had filed a case in Chowk Kotwali that the BJP leader had received a WhatsApp message from an unknown number. The message alleged that he needed to pay Rs 5 crore, or else ‘his image will be tarnished further.’
The girl had gone missing on 24 August, a day after she posted a video on social media, alleging that a “senior leader of the sant community” was harassing and threatening to kill her.
She was located in Rajasthan last Friday.
Her father had filed a complaint with police, accusing 72-year-old Chinmayanand of sexually harassing her, a charge refuted by the former Union minister's lawyer who claimed it was a “conspiracy” to blackmail him.
The police, on 27 August, booked Chinmayanand under Sections 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code based on the her father's complaint.
(With inputs from PTI, IANS, The Times of India)
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