New Delhi: Tehelka founder and editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal, accused of sexually assaulting a junior colleague in a five-star hotel earlier this month, was Friday booked for rape by Goa Police as the union home ministry swung into action and sought details of the incident. The famed journalist promised "full cooperation" in the probe. The Goa Police Crime Branch booked Tejpal for rape and criminal assault, acting suo motu on the basis of the hotel's CCTV footage and a leaked copy of a complaint filed by the victim to Shoma Chaudhury, the managing editor of Tehelka. Tejpal, 50, was accused of sexually assaulting a junior woman colleague twice in a hotel elevator during the Tehelka ThinkFest, a high profile conference organised by the weekly magazine in a north Goa hotel earlier this month.
The victim was in fact a key member of the liaison team dealing with Oscar award-winning actor Robert De Niro and his guests. "We should crack down on such type of high profile crimes which shatter the confidence of the common man. The FIR has to be filed in case of the cognisable crime which has taken place. I am not declaring someone guilty," said Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar. Police also seized CCTV footage from the hotel management.
The union home ministry also sought a report in the matter. "The home ministry has asked for all details of Tehelka case from the Goa government. This is an extremely serious matter," Minister of State for Home R.P.N. Singh said on Twitter. Breaking his silence for the first time, Tejpal said "serious allegations" have been levelled against him "and unfortunately, as sometimes happens in life, the complete truth and the need to do the honourable thing can come into conflict". "I offer my fullest cooperation to the police and all other authorities, and look to presenting all the facts of this incident to it," he said.
Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit described the incident as a "matter of concern and an attack on the self-respect of women". Demanding a criminal trial against Tejpal, Bharatiya Janata Party leader Arun Jaitley asserted that a departmental inquiry and criminal trial must go together. The leader of opposition in the Rajya Sabha said suggestions that the victim had the choice of refraining from pursuing a criminal investigation were akin to offering the offender an escape route. The National Commission for Women (NCW) also swung into action and directed the news magazine to provide, within 24 hours, all details regarding the alleged sexual assault case.
