Tehelka’s Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury on Friday claimed that the organization had taken the right steps in tackling woman journalist’s accusation of sexual harassment against its Founder-Editor Tarun Tejpal and said it is not a ‘criminal case’.
“I do feel a sense of outrage and betrayal. Tarun Tejpal had a different version of the event after I got this email. I extremely angrily confronted him after speaking to the girl. I got to know of the incident on Monday. The girl had marked three other journalists on it and I confronted Tejpal even without checking with the others. You cannot say it is a criminal case because the girl has not gone to the police. Let’s not conclude it is a sexual assault or rape,” Shoma Chaudhury said.
“I have taken every action to honour my colleague’s sense of injury,” Shoma added.
Shoma has said that the company has formed a committee under the Vishaka guidelines to probe into the allegations.
“I accept Tehelka did not have a committee under the Vishaka guidelines. The probe set up by our committee will be impartial. We will have several people from outside.”
Under fire for her ‘cover-up’ act, Shoma said, “Media has jumped to conclusions because of leaks. Media is accusing Tehelka of hushing up the case. Tehelka Editor stepped down after a public event, it can’t be a hush up. I have not been able to address the crazy media propaganda.”
She also ruled out the possibility of quitting from her post.
“Why should I leave an institution when someone else is accused. Tehelka is way larger than any individual.”
When asked why Tehelka is not filing FIR on behalf of its woman employee, Shoma said, “The complaint is three days old, she wanted an institutional response. If it goes into a legal domain then it asks for an investigation.”
The woman journalist has accused its former Editor-in-Chief Tarun Tejpal for sexually assaulting her in a Goa hotel at the ‘Think festival’ two weeks back. The Goa government ordered a suo motu “preliminary inquiry” into the case.
TOI quoted the victim journalist saying, “I am deeply disappointed with Tehelka’s response. The claim that I am ‘satisfied’ is false.”
On Thursday Shoma claimed that the woman journalist is satisfied with Tahelka’s action.
“There was an incident which has been dealt with internally. An unconditional apology was extended by Tarun. The journalist concerned was satisfied with the action taken,” Shoma had said.
Tejpal stepped down from his post on Wednesday and said the incident was “a bad lapse of judgment, an awful misreading of the situation.”
Meanwhile Goa Police has registered an FIR against Tejpal on Friday for attempting to rape and outraging the modesty of woman.
“We have registered a case and crime branch is investigating the case. Teams have been sent to Delhi for investigation and to interrogate Tarun Tejpal. If he will not cooperate we will arrest him,” said Goa DIG Kishan Kumar.
In its first public reaction Tejpal said he is ready to co-operate with the investigation. In a statement Tarun Tejpal said, “There have been serious allegations cast on me in this last week, and unfortunately as sometimes happens in life, the complete truth and the need to do the honorable thing can come into conflict. In this case this anguish was accentuated by the fact that very many intimate people, professional and personal, were involved.”
“I offer my fullest cooperation to the police and all other authorities, and look to presenting all the facts of this incident to it. I also urge the committee and the police to obtain, examine and release the CCTV footage so that the accurate version of events stands clearly revealed,” he added.
Tags: sexual assault Shoma Chaudhury Tarun Tejpal Tehelka Tehelka sex scandal
