The authorities of the college on the premises of which a Special Investigative Team is carrying out a probe into the rape charges against BJP leader Chinmayanand have denied news of the college being closed for three days.
Avinesh Kumar Mishra, the Honorary Secretary of Swami Shukdevanand Law College (SSLC), told THE WEEK, “The college has been closed only for the day to avoid any inconvenience to the investigating team and the students. Any decision on whether the college should remain shut tomorrow will be taken only on Saturday morning,” Mishra said.
The investigating team was on the premises of the Mumukshu Ashram at the time of filing this report.
A student from the college told THE WEEK, “We were not informed of the college being closed before hand. The heavy police presence on the college also kept away most students. There is no clarity on when the classes will resume”.
A postgraduate student has alleged that she was raped and "physically exploited" for a year by the BJP leader, whose organisation runs several colleges.
On Thursday evening, Chimiyanand was summoned for questioning by the SIT.
According to Om Singh, the lawyer for Chinmayanand, his client was questioned till around 1 am on Friday morning.
“My client is neither scared nor running away. Those who have hatched a conspiracy against him to defame him and demand five crore rupees stand on the verge of being arrested and exposed”, Singh told THE WEEK.
Sources told THE WEEK that there were inconsistencies in Chinmayanand’s statements and those made by the SSLC principal Sanjay Kumar Baranwal who was also questioned by the team on Thursday.
Singh dismissed such speculation. “The Principal was questioned during the day, my client during the evening. They were not faced with each other. The statements of both shall be investigated by the SIT and the truth shall come out”, he said.
The father of the 23-year-old woman, who had made the allegations, meanwhile said that till rape charges were not framed against Chinmiyanand, he shall remain doubtful of the probe.
“The police is quick to list charges even in petty cases. Yet what my daughter has given in her own handwriting to the Delhi police has not been considered,” Harish Sharma told THE WEEK.
He was referring to the 12 page complaint which his daughter had filed in Delhi upon her recovery on August 30.
