Chinmayanand case: Priyanka slams BJP govt, police for 'repeating' Unnao 'negligence'

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra slammed the BJP government and the police in Uttar Pradesh on Thursday over the Chinmayanand case, saying they were repeating the "negligence" shown and "protection" given to the accused in the Unnao rape case.

Her allegations came a day after the student, who has levelled rape charges against former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, threatened to set herself on fire if the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader was not arrested immediately.

The student also asked if the government was waiting for her to die even after her statement was recorded before a magistrate.

"The consequences of the BJP government and police's negligence and protection to the accused in the Unnao rape case are in front of everyone," Priyanka Gandhi said in a tweet in Hindi.

"Now, the BJP government and police are repeating the same in the Shahjahanpur case. The victim is in fear. But do not know what the BJP government is waiting for," the Congress general secretary in-charge eastern Uttar Pradesh added.

The police had earlier registered a case of criminal intimidation and abduction on a complaint lodged by the student's father.

Later, the student, who studied in a college run by an organisation led by the BJP leader, also accused him of rape and "physical exploitation" for over a year.

In the Unnao case, expelled BJP MLA Kuldeep Singh Sengar has been accused of rape by a 19-year-old woman.