SIT begins questioning in Chinmayanand case

8 A Supreme Court-recommended Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the sexual harassment allegations against former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand has reached Shahjahanpur and on Sunday began questioning the father of the victim.

On Saturday evening, the Delhi Police handed over the girl to the UP Police for protection, Rajesh Kumar Pandey, Deputy Inspector General of Police of Bareilly, told .

Now the security of the girl is the UP Police's responsibility, he said.

"We are responsible for the security of the victim and her family and we have made arrangements for it. Two armed policemen will be with the victim while two others will protect her family at their home and outside. The family will also be guarded 24 hours by another team of four armed policemen," Pandey added.

SIT chief Inspector General Navin Arora told : "We have started the probe. We will have to find out the missing links as per the FIR. We can't reveal anything more at this stage as the probe is being monitored by the Allahabad High Court."

On August 25, the victim, a law student at the Swami Shukdevanand Post Graduate College, Shahjahanpur, had alleged that Chinmayanand had sexually exploited many girls including her. She also claimed to possess evidence against the former Minister.

After the matter came to light, an FIR was lodged against Chinmayanand on August 27.

(Sanjeev Kumar Singh Chauhan can be contacted at sanjeev.c@.in)

( With inputs from IANS )