Police nab ex-BJP minister after rape claim

Indian police yesterday arrested a former minister from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman.

Swami Chinmayanand, 73, a former internal affairs minister, is the second senior member of the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party to face sex charges in recent months.

Chinmayanand runs several educational and welfare institutions in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and the victim was a student at one of his colleges, according to media reports.

The woman, who has accused the politician of rape, on Thursday threatened to set herself on fire if police did not take action against Chinmayanand.

She filed a case in early September and authorities had faced criticism over the

pace of the investigation. “We arrested him this morning and the court has since sent him to judicial custody for 14 days,” Naveen Arora, state police inspector general, told journalists.

Arora said the accused had been confronted with phone records and recordings, and had admitted to some of the accusations against him.

Chinmayanand, who served as a junior minister in a coalition government from 1999 to 2004, has so far only been charged with stalking, wrongful confinement and intimidation, Press Trust of India news agency said.

The arrest is the second major embarrassment for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.

 

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Police nab ex-BJP minister after rape claim

Indian police yesterday arrested a former minister from Prime Minister Narendra Modis party after he was accused of sexually assaulting a 23-year-old woman. Swami Chinmayanand, 73, a former internal affairs minister, is the second senior member of the right wing Bharatiya Janata Party to face sex charges in recent months. Chinmayanand runs several educational and welfare institutions in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh and the victim was a student at one of his colleges, according to media reports. The woman, who has accused the politician of rape, on Thursday threatened to set herself on fire if police did not take action against Chinmayanand. She filed a case in early September and authorities had faced criticism over the pace of the investigation. We arrested him this morning and the court has since sent him to judicial custody for 14 days, Naveen Arora, state police inspector general, told journalists. Arora said the accused had been confronted with phone records and recordings, and had admitted to some of the accusations against him. Chinmayanand, who served as a junior minister in a coalition government from 1999 to 2004, has so far only been charged with stalking, wrongful confinement and intimidation, Press Trust of India news agency said. The arrest is the second major embarrassment for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh.