Friends Of UP Student, Who Accused BJP's Chinmayanand Of Rape, Examined

A Special Investigation Team or SIT probing the alleged rape of a law student by BJP leader Chinmayanand on Sunday examined the student's three male friends, apart from some employees of her college.

The student's friends who were examined included the one who was with her when she was found in Rajasthan after having gone missing from here late last month.

He and two others were also present inside the car in which the girl had made a video recording narrating her ordeal.

The top court-appointed Special Investigation Team called them to Police Lines in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur and recorded their statements, official sources said.

The SIT also examined the principals of the girl's alma mater -- a law college and a post-graduate college -- both located on the campus of Mumukshu Ashram of former Union Minister Chinmayanand.

The SIT also examined two other college employees, who had been summoned on Saturday but had failed to turn up for recording of their statements.

The girl's father, meanwhile, termed the leak of the video footage given to the SIT by his daughter as a "conspiracy" and said he would request the Supreme Court to order a probe into it.

"From where have the screenshots and videos come to the social media? The screenshots have been posted even on various social media platforms. These were given to the SIT by my daughter. This is a conspiracy," he said.

He said he would inform the Supreme Court about it and seek a probe in the entire matter.

The law student had on Saturday given a pen drive containing 43 videos to the SIT to support her allegations after officials asked her to submit whatever evidence she had against the former Union minister.

The SIT, set up on Supreme Court orders, had taken the woman to Chinmayanand's bedroom on Friday morning and had collected various pieces of evidence.

The special investigation team had quizzed the student's mother on Saturday, they said.