TEAM HERALD
teamherald@herald-goa.com
PANJIM: The State Thursday ordered a preliminary inquiry, headed by DIG OP Mishra, into the alleged sexual assault of a woman journalist by her boss and editor-in-chief and publisher of Tehelka magazine Tarun Tejpal, at the ThinkFest event in a Goa hotel.
Tejpal ~ according to media reports of the letter written by the victim ~ was a good friend of her father and his daughter was her best friend. The Crime Branch which is handling the case has sought and procured CCTV footage from the starred hotel and verified details of the persons who were staying at the hotel on the days where the victim alleged that the assault took place.
The police ~ in what sources say is likely to be a precursor to a FIR being registered ~ has written to Managing Editor of Tehelka Shoma Chaudhury asking for documents related to the case. Sources also say that the police are likely to send a team to Delhi; but whether to speak to the victim or after a FIR is filed to take a statement or some other action against Tejpal is not clear.
Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar directed the Chief Secretary to order a preliminary inquiry after a hue and cry was raised by the media after an email was sent by Tejpal to Managing Editor Chaudhury, saying he would recuse himself for 6 months for his “error in judgement” as part of self-incarceration and which was circulated to Tehelka staff by Chaudhury.
Speaking to media persons at a hurriedly called press conference, Parrikar said that as part of the preliminary inquiry police will seek footage from the hotel CCTV to establish an offence, while he admitted that he had access to the email from the victim.
“As soon as I got to know that the incident took place in Goa, I asked the Chief Secretary to direct the Goa police to conduct a preliminary inquiry into the case to ascertain the facts. Once that report comes, appropriate action will be taken,” Parrikar said.
The assault allegedly happened during the recently concluded two-day ThinkFest in Goa at a five star hotel about 10 days ago and flared into a full blown scandal after the victim wrote a letter to the managing editor of Tehelka against Tejpal seeking an inquiry and at least a written apology to be circulated to all the staff.
Admitting that prosecuting the accused would require a formal complaint Parrikar told media, “no complaint is required for preliminary inquiry. We can take action in a criminal offence if it has happened irrespective of the person against whom the offence is”.
“Unless there is a complaint how am I going to prove the offence. The case is of attempted rape or molestation. There was definitely an attempt,” Parrikar said.
He also said that the “Goa Women’s Commission is considering a suo moto probe” and that while prima facie it was a crime, still a complaint would be required to be filed.
“Let us wait till a complaint is filed. If required the Goa Police may seek a statement from the girl,” Parrikar said.
Police told Herald that a formal complaint had not been received but they were conducting a preliminary inquiry and had asked for various documents and evidence.
“As part of the preliminary inquiry we have sent an email to Shoma Chaudhury to supply documents,” Mishra told Herald. He, however, refused to confirm if or even when a FIR would be filed saying that they are “going step by step.”
Women activists and journalists attacked Chaudhury’s claim that it was an internal matter and demanded that law take its course as it was a matter of crime. Demands for a quick probe into the incident mounted with journalist bodies asking for prosecution into the allegations of “grave sexual assault”.
“There ought not to be any attempt to cover up or play down this extremely serious incident,” the Editors Guild said in a statement.
