Activists attack Tehelka management

Women activists and senior journalists today expressed dissatisfaction over the way Tehelka management handled the issue of the alleged sexual assault of a woman journalist by its Editor Tarun Tejpal and said law should take its course as it was not an internal matter.

They were critical of the statements made by Tehelka Managing Editor Shoma Chaudhury who said it was not a police case which the organisation will deal with to the satisfaction of the victim.

They were commenting on the raging controversy over the weekly magazine's statements that appeared to give an impression that the alleged sexual assault involving Tejpal in a Goa hotel 10 days ago is an internal matter and that the girl was "satisfied" with the "action" in the issue.

A former top Delhi police official Kiran Bedi and noted lawyer Pinky Anand felt that it was clear case of crime and police can suo motu take cognisance of it.

Anand said Tejpal should be arrested and an FIR lodged against him. She said the victim cannot be forced to give a complaint and the police can suo motu take action.

Bedi said an act of crime has been committed and police should take suo motu action.

A woman activist Kavita Krishnan said Tehelka's response to the complaint by their woman employee "is inadequate and in fact shocking".

She said it was shocking because the complaint was specifically one of sexual harassment and that she has asked Tejpal's acknowledgement that he committed sexual harassment be publicly circulated to all the Tehelka employees and that has not happened.

"We need to tell Mr Tejpal that penance is no substitute for due process and penalty," she said.