National Secretary BJP Kisan Morcha Sukhminderpal Singh Grewal lashes out at Congress party saying that it sees no reason why a mere apology by Tarun Tejpal and stepping down for 6 months from the post of Editor-in-chief be accepted as sufficient. Grewal in fact held the Congress party responsible for trying to protect Tarun Tejpal by putting up a fake action. Grewal said everybody is shocked and horrified at the latest revelations about acts of criminality by Tehelka Editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal. In a press statement here today, he said that it is ironical that at a time when a state was being questioned for giving protection to a woman when her family sought protection and she was in complete knowledge of the same a woman journalist is being denied any help by the Congress or the authorities like the NCW and the Press Council of India. Grewal said that there are the two situations involving two women cannot be compared the morality of the Congress and its surrogates can be questioned in handling the two situations. He said that the flip-flop of NCW and the Congress party on all such issues involving women is condemnable. He said when a young journalist who happens to be daughter of a senior journalist is seeking redressal of an abhorrent crime admittedly perpetrated by the Editor-in-chief himself some sections of the media choose to ignore her plea brushing the entire issue under the carpet.
Grewal said that it comes as a disturbing fact is that some of the media houses were busy writing and organizing a campaign to harm the reputation of an innocent victim who had sought protection to protect her honour and dignity at a time she was well-settled in her married life and pleaded for anonymity. He said that clearly it seems to be a case of political vendetta to settle scores by side stepping the key issues like governance and corruption and scams. Grewal said that if the Congress party points a finger on the Gujarat Government for having provided security to a woman to protect her from such crimes. He said why has it remained silent on the 9 MLA' S in Rajasthan who are facing serious charges like rape, murder, and sexual assault. He said that the cases relating to Rajasthan Ministers like Parasnath Maderna have failed to elicit a response from either the Congress party or its surrogates. Grewal said that the conduct of Tarun Tejpal falls under the category of rape as per the amended law in 2013, Sexual assault of this nature would fall within the definition of rape under Section 375 of the IPC. Grewal said that the letter from the girl in question to Shoma Chaudhary, Managing Editor of Tehelka, clearly brings out the trauma which she suffered at the hands of Tarun Tejpal, owner and Editor of Tehelka .
Grewal said that Tejpal, through his atonement letter has sought the paid holiday of 6 months by recusing himself from the Editorship of magazine, Can atonement for a criminal act like this be granted. He said if it is granted, it should take place within the jail premises. Grewal said even though Tarun Tejpal has admitted to having committed the crime sending him away from Tehelka is not a befitting punishment at all considering the serious nature and assault on his own woman staffer. Grewal said in the end, while the dignified ladies from the Congress party were anointing themselves as a guardian to a woman who sought anonymity, sensationalizing her ordeal, dragging her in the newspapers and TV channels, a serious crime, admittedly perpetrated by a senior Editor-in-chief is being ignored by the Congress party. The least they can do is to demand registration of a criminal case against Tarun Tejpal. He said that the woman journalist in Tehelka in her e-mail to Shoma Chaudhary has revealed the perverse criminal behaviour and nature. He said that the issue needs to be taken to a logical conclusion so that such acts do not recur in future. Will Tehelka answer if a mechanism to prevent sexual harassment at work place, in keeping with the legal provisions, was put in place in their media organisation. He said that Tarun Tejpal has been accused of sexually assaulting a junior journalist during the think festival in Goa. Chief Minister Goa Manohar Parrikar has already ordered a probe and the police may summon Tarun Tejpal for trial under criminal offences.