Shahjahanpur English news | Shahjahanpur, Latest News & Live Updates in English | English News (Latest English News) at Lokmattimes.com

Swami Chinmayanand, a senior BJP leader, is now courting controversy over allegations of sexual misconduct.Born in Gonda district into the royal family of Avadh in 1947, Chinmayanand's real name remains under wraps. He did his masters from Lucknow University and then renounced royalty to lead an ascetic life.However, when sainthood befriended politics during the Ayodhya movement, Chinmayanand was one of the first saints who took to politics.On November 9, 1989, when Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leaders prepared to perform 'shilanyas' in Ayodhya and lay the foundation for the 'proposed grand temple' there, it was Chinmayanand who played the role of master of ceremonies.He contested and won the 1999 Lok Sabha election from Jaunpur and went on to become a minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.In between, Chinmayanand set up several educational institutions in Shahjahanpur, the Swami Shukdevanand Post Graduate College (known as SS College) being one of them.Chinmayanand runs these colleges in various capacities (trustee and manager). He also became the editor of two monthly magazines - Pramarath and Vivek Rashmi.Chinmayanand set up ashrams in Haridwar and Shahjahanpur.A former disciple and manager of Mumuksh Ashram, run by Chinmayanand in Shahjahanpur, opened a can of worms in 2011 when she filed a first information report against him, alleging that she had been held captive, raped and assaulted for several years by him.But Chinmayanand's clout prevented any kind of action against him and the victim finally moved out of Shahjahanpur.UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who shares a good relationship with Chinmayanand, visited the Mumuksh ashram in February 2018.A month later, in March 2018, the then Additional District Magistrate (administration), Shahjahanpur, Sarvesh Dixit, sent a letter to a senior prosecution officer, directing him to move a petition in court for withdrawal of the case. The plea was turned down by the Chief Judicial Magistrate.The latest case against him - complaint of sexual harassment by a law student of the SS college - has not surprised anyone in Shahjahanpur."Chinmayanand is known for such misdeeds but no one dares to utter a word because of the immense clout that he enjoys in the corridors of power. Journalists who have dared to even try to expose him, have lost their jobs," said a local journalist on condition of anonymity.It was this clout and his proximity to the chief minister that acted as a deterrent for the police to even try and investigate the complaint of the law student who later fled the city.However, with the Supreme Court getting tough in the matter, Chinmayanand's dream run may finally end.The apex court on Monday directed the Uttar Pradesh government to set up a Special Investigating Team (SIT) to probe sexual harassment allegations made by the law student against Chinmayanand.The top court also asked the Allahabad High Court to monitor the probe.( With inputs from IANS )

ShahjahanpurFOLLOW

Shahjahanpur, Latest News

The Congress' Uttar Pradesh unit will orgse a 180-km long 'Padyatra' from Shahjahanpur to the state capital, demanding justice for the rape victim. The 'padyatra' will begin on September 30. ...

Taking aim at Yogi-Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government on the completion of its 30 months in power, former state minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Thursday that the highest number of notices issued by National Human Rights Commission to the state s ...

Eleven districts in Uttar Pradesh have reported cases of the 'deadly' plasmodium falciparum (PF) malaria this year. ...

13 The special investigation team (SIT) probing the Shahjahanpur rape case, has sealed the Divya ashram of the accused BJP leader Swami Chinmayanand. ...

13 Former Union Minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of sexual misconduct by a law student, has been questioned by the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case. ...

The Chinmayanand case has taken yet another turn with the law students father now claiming that evidence has gone missing from the girls hostel room. ...

This 72-year-old man wears many hats. He is a politician, a saint, an educationist, a tantric, a Yoga guru, a philosopher and also an editor. ...

This 72-year-old man wears many hats. He is a politician, a saint, an educationist, a tantric, a Yoga guru, a philosopher and also an editor. ...