Chinmayanand Case Updates: Supreme Court Orders SIT Probe; Girl Says Fled Shahjahanpur With College Mates For Safety

The Supreme Court on 2 September (Monday) ordered the Uttar Pradesh government to constitute a special investigation team headed by a police officer of the Inspector General rank to probe the charges levelled against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Chinmayanand, reports NDTV.

The court said that the probe will be monitored by the Allahabad High Court.

The girl who accused Chinmayanand of sexual harassment was produced before the court after she was traced in Rajasthan on Friday (30 August). The girl told the court that she had fled Shahjahanpur with her three college mates "in order to protect herself".

After the girl went missing, her father lodged a police complaint of kidnapping and criminal intimidation against Chinmayanand. A day prior, on 23 August, the 23-year-old law student had posted a video on social media alleging exploitation by powerful people on the management board of her college, albeit she didn’t name anyone specifically. Her parents have been granted police protection.

The court said that the parents of the girl had expressed concerns over her safety and asked the Additional Solicitor General to check whether the girl and her brother, both in the first year of the same college, can be admitted to another college under Bareilly University.