Goa Police will on Friday interrogate former Tehelka editor Tarun Tejpal who has been accused of sexually assaulting a young colleague.
The police are likely to arrest him under stringent sections of rape and molestation within hours of his walking into Dauna Paulo Police Station, as he has already withdrawn his anticipatory bail application before the Delhi High Court. Earlier in the day, the Goa police moved court for a non-bailable warrant against Tejpal after rejecting his plea to join the investigations on Saturday.
Tejpal’s decision to offer “full cooperation” coincided with the resignation of the news magazine’s managing editor Shoma Chaudhary. “Over the past week, I have been accused of an attempt to “cover-up” and for not standing by my feminist positions. While I accept that I could have done many things differently and in a more measured way, I reject the allegations of a cover-up... I do not want questions raised about my integrity to tarnish the image of Tehelka. Therefore, I resign as Managing Editor with immediate effect,” her resignation letter posted on Tehelka website said. Hours after her resignation, protestors led by Delhi BJP leader Vijay Jolly landed outside her residence in Saket where Jolly defaced Chaudhary’s nameplate writing “accused” on it instead. The party, however, distanced itself from the protest. Chaudhary also reported to the NCW office where she presented her side of the story.
The Goa Police, meanwhile, have covered sufficient legal ground to pin down Tejpal. After the victim recorded her statement before the Goa magistrate, the police reportedly took her to the hotel to identify the spot (elevator) where the alleged assault took place.
Sources within the Goa police revealed that the CCTV footage of the hotel corroborated the sequence of events narrated by the victim. The footage showed Tejpal and the victim entering the elevator after 10.30 pm on November 7 and emerging after several minutes, in which Tejpal is seen following her.