Chinmayanand Case: SIT Chief Says Won’t be Swayed by ‘Media Trial’, Wants People to Show ‘Some’ Faith

Naveen Arora, the SIT chief, said that if the investigation goes in the wrong direction, the Allahabad High Court is there to monitor the team

New Delhi: The Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing allegations of rape and blackmail against BJP leader Chinmayanand on Wednesday said that it will not be swayed by accusations of trying to shield the former Union Minister.

Addressing a press conference, Naveen Arora, the chief of the SIT, which was set up by the apex court to probe allegations against Chinmayanand, said, “You should have some faith in the investigation agency. If the probe is going in the wrong direction, the Allahabad High Court is there to monitor us. We won’t be influenced by any person or a media trial.”

The development comes after the 23-year-old law student from Shajahanpur, who has accused Chinmayanand of raping her and physically exploiting her for over a year, questioned why no action has been taken against the 72-year-old BJP leader even after she gave a detailed statement before a magistrate. The girl has also threatened to set herself on fire if  Chinmayanand is not arrested.

On this, the SIT chief said, “I cannot talk about any modification to the FIR. We have not arrested anyone yet and have only called people for questioning. We won’t change our course of investigation just because some people are questioning us.”

Former BJP MP Chinmayanand, who claims that he is being ‘set up‘ and has denied the allegations, is currently in hospital after complaining of ‘uneasiness’. He was questioned by the SIT for seven hours last Thursday.

This is the second such high-profile case centring around a BJP leader to have emerged from Uttar Pradesh, after the Unnao case.