Tarun Tejpal sexual assault case: Journalist resigns from Tehelka

New Delhi: The Tehelka journalist, who had accused its editor Tarun Tejpal of sexually assaulting her, has resigned from the magazine to be “free from any kind of pressure” as its employee. Tejpal has been charged with rape by the Goa police. [caption id=“attachment_1249159” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Tarun Tejpal. AFP[/caption] When contacted, the girl told PTI that she has resigned from Tehelka. Sources said she had sent her resignation to the Tehelka management two days ago as she wanted to be free from any kind of pressure as an employee of the organisation. The woman journalist on Saturday had issued a statement suggesting she and her family were being subjected to pressure and intimidation at an “intensely traumatic” time to “protect” Tejpal. Disappointed over Tehelka management’s handling of the case, consulting editor Jay Mazoomdaar and Revati Laul, an assistant editor, have also have put in their papers. There are reports that Tehelka’s Literary Editor Shougat Dasgupta also stepped down and more people are likely to resign in the next few days. A three-member Goa police team in the last two days had quizzed Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury and three employees who were contacted by the victim to corroborate her version. The woman journalist had mentioned the names of her three colleagues, with whom she had interacted soon after the alleged assault happened at a Goa hotel lift around a fortnight ago, in her complaint and said Chaudhury could corroborate the incident from them. Tejpal today moved the Delhi High Court seeking anticipatory bail. The Goa police had on November 22 lodged an FIR against Tejpal under sections 376 (rape), 376 (2)(k) (rape by a person of a woman in his custody taking advantage of his official position) and 354 (outraging modesty) of IPC in connection with the incident. Meanwhile, NCW member Nirmala Samant Prabhavalkar expressed surprise over Goa police leaving Delhi yesterday without arresting Tejpal. “They interrogated the managing director Shoma Choudhary and recorded the statements of three other colleagues with whom the victim had shared the details of the incident, but suprisingly they left Delhi without arresting Tejpal,” she said. Prabhavalkar said she has spoken to Mumbai police who told her that they are cooperating with Goa police in investigating the case. She also said that the Commission has spoken to Mumbai Police asking them what measures they have taken for protection and security of the victim following media reports that she was being pressurised by Tejpal’s family. “We have spoken to Satyapal Singh and Himanshu Roy (police officials) asking them what action they have taken for the protection of the victim girl. In turn, they have conveyed to us that they are duty-bound to provide all the protection and security needed to the girl of she asks for it,” she said. Prabhavalkar also said that the Commission had provided numbers of all the police officials to the victim whom she can contact and meet. PTI