Shahjahanpur: Former Union minister Swami Chinmayanand, accused of rape by a law student, was arrested on Friday, his counsel said. The BJP leader was arrested by the special investigation team (SIT) of Uttar Pradesh police from his residence 'Divya Dham' here amid heavy security deployment, his lawyer Pooja Singh told PTI. He was taken for medical examination to a government hospital. He was then taken to the the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate where he will be presented.

Singh said the SIT took signatures of Chinmayanand's relatives on the arrest memo but no arrest-related documents were given to them. As Chinmayanand was taken for a medical check-up, patients at the government hospital had to face a tough time as they were not allowed to enter the premises. Teams led by senior police officials have been deployed at the court premises and the hospital. A team of police officials is also patrolling the area to ensure there is no disturbance, a senior official said.