Weekly magazine Tehelka’s Editor Tarun Tejpal’s alleged sexual harassment of a woman colleague snowballed into a major controversy on Thursday with the Goa police considering summoning him.
Meanwhile, there was widespread condemnation in cybermedia and outside of the way in which the magazine handled the issue, with women journalists stepping up their demand for sexual harassment committees in media organisations as per Supreme Court guidelines.
Tejpal had on Wednesday night announced that he was “recusing” himself as Editor for six months after an email by a woman colleague alleging sexual assault on her by him was made public. The woman journalist had reportedly complained to Tehelka Managing Editor, Shoma Chaudhury, that the assault took place in Goa about 10 days ago during the Think event organised by the magazine.
Chaudhury’s statement that she wanted time to act “correctly” drew criticism from women activists and senior journalists, who demanded that law, should take its course.
Meanwhile, Goa Chief Minister, Manohar Parikkar, held a meeting with top civil and police officials in Panaji and a preliminary probe was ordered into the incident. The police have sought CCTV footage of the five- star hotel where the incident reportedly took place, and have not ruled out the possibility of taking suo motu cognizance of the incident.
DIG O.P Mishra said police have asked for the complete footage of the days during which the incident had occurred. “Only after we get the footage of the tape we will be able to comment further,” he said.
Meanwhile women journalists, such as the Indian Women’s Press Corp and Network for Women in Media called upon media houses and organisations to take corrective measures, including setting up pro-active internal complaints committees for the effective enforcement of the Vishakha Guidelines, as also a probe into the Tehelka incident.
“As a media body of 600 professional women journalists, the IWPC believes that while the media has a mandate to report on the misdeeds of others it is also important that we turn the searchlight within our community,” it said in a statement.
The National Commission for Women said it would probe the alleged sexual assault on the female journalist “if the matter is brought before it.”
BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi, addressing a press conference said: “In today’s amended definition, the doing of Tarun Tejpal is called rape.”
She termed the “atonement” letter of Tejpal announcing he was recusing himself for six months as “immensely shocking”.