Chinmayanand case: Student gives pen drive with videos to SIT
Shahjahanpur (UP), Sep 14: The postgraduate student who has accused BJP leader Chinmayanand of rape on Saturday gave a pen drive containing 43 videos to the SIT to support her allegations.
The woman was asked by the SIT to submit whatever evidence she had against the former Union minister. The special investigation team questioned the student on Friday and collected evidence from Chinmayanand's bedroom here, sources said on Saturday.
The SIT, formed on the orders of the Supreme Court, had brought the woman to Chinmayanand's home on Friday morning where they continued the probe for around five hours, the sources said.
The special team has called the student's mother for questioning on Saturday, they said.
Chinmayanand, whose organisation runs several colleges, was questioned for about seven hours at the police lines here on Thursday night and his bedroom at Divya Dham residence was sealed, they said.
A team of forensic experts was also present at the residence.
The woman alleged that important evidence has been removed from Chinmayanand's bedroom and it now wears a new look.
"The paint and other things have been changed and it now has a new look. Important evidence has been removed from there but two oil bowls, used during massage, were found by the SIT," she said, adding that a towel, toothpaste and soap used by the BJP leader was sealed and taken away by the forensic team.
The woman said she told the probe team about a young BA-LLB student who was also being tortured and had confided in her about her harassment.
The postgraduate student said she has also given her statement about the FIR lodged in New Delhi on September 5.
Recounting her ordeal, she 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," 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.
The college where the woman studied was closed since Friday and will now open on Monday, the sources said.
The woman has alleged that she was raped and "physically exploited" for a year by the BJP leader. Chinmayanand's lawyer has, however, alleged an extortion attempt.
The woman first levelled harassment charges against the BJP leader in a video clip uploaded on social media. She was then missing for several days before an Uttar Pradesh police team traced her in Rajasthan and produced her before the Supreme Court.
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AIITA welcomes Karnataka’s ban on obscene songs in school events
Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.
AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.
“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.
He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.
“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.
According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.
In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.
AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.
