Chinmayanand case: Police say missing woman spotted in Delhi hotel

UttarPradeshpoliceonWednesdayclaimedthatthestudentwhowentmissingafterallegingharassmentbyBJPleaderSwamiChinmayanandhasbeenspottedataDelhihotel.

Butshehadalreadyleftthehotelwhenapoliceteamreachedthere,theysaid.

Thepost-graduatestudenthasbeenmissingatleastsinceSaturday,whenavideoclipsurfacedinwhichsheaccusedaseniorleaderofthesantcommunityofharassingandthreateningtokillher.Shedidnotdirectlynamehim.

HerfatherallegedinapolicecomplaintonTuesdaythatsheandothergirlsatacollegerunbyChinmayanand'sashramweresexuallyharassedbytheBJPleader.

AformerUnionminister,Chinmayanandfacedsimilaraccusationsin2011andwasbookedforrapingawomanwhostayedathisashram.

Withthestudentstillmissing,theNationalCommissionforWomenandUttarPradesh'swomencommissionhaveexpressedconcern.

OnTwitter,CongressleaderPriyankaGandhiVadrasaidtheepisodeappearedtobearepetitionoftheUnnaocase,inwhichBJPMLAKuldeepSinghSengar,nowexpelledfromtheparty,wasaccusedofrapingaminor.

ChinmayanandwasbookedonTuesdayundertheIndianPenalCodesectionsrelatedtoabductionformurderandintimidation.Hislawyer,however,hasallegedthatthereisanattempttoblackmailhimforRs5crore.

"ThegirlwhohadlevelledchargesofabductionagainstChinmayanandwaslastseeninahotelinDwarkainsouth-westDelhionAugust23,"AdditionalDirectorGeneralofPolice(Bareillyzone)AvinashChandratoldPTIonWednesday.

Whenthepoliceteamreachedthehotel,itfoundthatthewomanhadalreadylefttheplace,hesaid.

TheADGsaidamanisseenwithherintheCCTVfootagewiththepolice.

Apparentlyreferringtothesamefootageshowntohim,thestudent'sfathertoldatvchannelthatitappearedsuspicious.

HetoldPTIthatafterreportsthattheirdaughterhadgonemissing,hermothervisitedherhostelbutfoundherroomlocked.

MywifethenspoketoChinmayanandoverthephoneandhetoldherthatheisinHaridwarandwouldlookforthegirlonhisreturn.Afterthis,hisphonewasswitchedoff,"thefathersaid.

"OnAugust24,acallcamefromanunknownnumberinDelhi,andmydaughtersaidsheisfine.Later,hermothercalledheruponthesamenumber,butshewastoldbythehotelstaffthatagirlhadcomeinawhitecar.Sheusedthatnumberashermobilebalancehadexhausted,"hesaid.

InNovember2011,Chinmayanandwasbookedforallegedlyrapingawomanwhohadspentseveralyearsathisashram.

IntheFIRlodgedbythatwomen'sfather,Chinmayanand,whohasbeenanMPthreetimes,wasaccusedofconfiningheratanashraminHaridwar.

TheBJPleadermovedthehighcourt,whichstayedhisarrest.Thecasehasbeenpendingsincethen.Lastyear,theYogiAdityanathgovernmentinUttarPradeshsoughttowithdrawthecase.

InthevideowhichsurfacedonsocialmediaonAugust24,themissingwomanalleged,Aseniorleaderofthesantcommunity,whohasalreadydestroyedthelivesofmanygirls,isnowthreateningtokillme."

"Myrequestto(PrimeMinisterNarendra)Modijiand(UPChiefMinister)Yogijiispleasehelpme.Hehasthreatenedtokillmyfamilyaswell,sheisheardsayingintheclip,whichalsoshowsherbreakingdown.

CongressleaderPriyankaGandhiVadraonWednesdayexpressedconcernoverthesafetyofwomeninthestate.

"InUttarPradesh,thismatterappearstoberepetitionoftheUnnaocase.IfawomancomplainsagainstaBJPleader,thensheisnotguaranteedjustice,evenherownsafetyisnotguaranteed,"PriyankaGandhisaidinatweetinHindiwiththehashtag'EnoughIsEnough'.

"Lastyear,theBJPgovernmenthadwithdrawnarapecaseagainsttheaccused(Chinmayanand).It'sclearwherethegovernmentstands.UP'sgirlsarewatching,"Gandhisaid.

ButChiefMinisterYogiAdityanath'smediaadvisoraskedtheCongressgeneralsecretarynottocreateconfusionandsaidthepolicehavetakenallnecessarystepsinthiscase.

TheNationalCommissionforWomensentanoticetotheUttarPradeshPolice,askingittoquicklyprobetheallegationslevelledbythestudentandsubmitareport.

ItalsourgedtheUttarPradeshDirectorGeneralofPolicetoensurethesafetyofthewomanandherfamily.

TheUttarPradeshCommissionforWomentoosoughtareportfromtheShahjahanpurdistrictadministrationonherdisappearance.