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Former BJP MP Swami Chinmayanand arrested on rape allegations: Reports

The woman had threatened to set herself on fire if the BJP leader is not arrested

Swami Chinmayanand | via Facebook

The special investigation team probing rape charges against Swami Chinmayanand arrested the former BJP MP on Friday, multiple reports stated. Earlier, a postgraduate student had accused BJP leader Chinmayanand of rape on Saturday gave a pen drive containing 43 videos to the SIT to support her allegations. She had threatened to set herself on fire if the BJP leader is not arrested immediately.

Recounting her ordeal, she had said that after she took admission in LLM, Chinmayanand's men called her to his home and left her in a room on the upper floor where the former minister showed her a video of her having a bath, after which her physical exploitation began.

The woman, however, said that this video was not found by the probe agency in the bedroom and claimed that it could have been kept in Chinmayanand's Haridwar ashram.

Chinmayanand's Counsel Om Singh refuted argued that giving massage was not a crime and people go to spa for it.

"Besides, the video does not show anything being done under pressure," said Singh.

Sources said the BJP leader has been asked by the SIT not to leave Shahjahanpur till the completion of the probe and policemen in large numbers have been deployed in and around his residence.

Chinmayanand, who had complained of diabetes, loose motions and high blood pressure, was admitted at the government hospital and later referred to King George's Medical University (KGMU) in Lucknow.

But he chose to return to his Divya Dham residence and get Ayurvedic treatment there.

The 72-year-old complained of diabetes, loose motions and high blood pressure when he was admitted at the government hospital.

He underwent several tests at the Shahjahanpur hospital where a team of four doctors monitored his condition.

-Inputs from PTI