Chinmayanand to be stripped of sainthood

Prayagraj : Former Union Minister and BJP leader Chinmayanand, who was arrested on Friday on charges of intimidation and sexual harassment of a law student, is now facing more trouble from his peers.

The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP), the highest decision making body of saints, is all set to extern Chinmayanand from the community.

ABAP president, Mahant Narendra Giri, said after a meeting of the council on Saturday that it had been decided to extern Chinmayanand from the saint community.

Mahant Narendra Giri further said, "Chinmayanand has accepted his misdeeds and there could be nothing more shameful for the saint community. He will be externed until the day he is exonerated from the court."

Meanwhile, the rape and blackmail of the Shahjahanpur Law student in which Chinmayanand is under arrest, is turning out to be a unique case of 'reverse stings' in which both the complainant as well as the accused are turning out to be culprits as well as victims.

While the 23-year-old girl accused the self-proclaimed godman of having got a video made of her while she was taking bath in the college hostel to blackmail and rape her several times, it turns out that she used the very same tricks to get even with him.

For this reverse sting, the woman bought spectacles fitted with a secret camera and made recordings of their intimate moments, including those where he was getting a massage in a state of undress. The girl has handed over to the Special Investigation Team some 40 of such reverse stings videos.

The law student could also be arrested soon, according to Special Investigation Team (SIT) sources.

The sources said that the victim has been involved in the extortion call made to Chinmayanand by her male companion, Sanjay Singh, and two cousins, Sachin Sengar and Vikram, and is named as one of the accused in the case.