The following is the text of the First Information Report lodged by Inspector Sunita Sawant of Goa Police Crime Branch, Dona Paula, on behalf of the State. Identifying information has been redacted.
I, Sunita Sawant, Police inspector, CID Crime Branch, Dona Paula, do hereby lodge my complaint on behalf of the State as under:
That on 21.11.2013, on various social sites, news channels of electronic media, news was published, stating that during the Think Fest organised in Goa between 7th and 11th Nov, 2013, by Tehelka.com , Shri Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief, allegedly outraged the modesty/sexually assaulted a female journalist of Tehelka .
After seeing the said news, it was felt proper by the police department to initiate a preliminary enquiry in the matter, since the alleged incident was stated to have taken place in a hotel in Goa. In this respect as it was reported that the female victim had sent a detailed mail narrating the entire incident to Shoma Chaudhury, Managing Editor of Tehelka and the e-mail was sent to Ms. Chaudhury on her e-mail address, shoma@tehelka.com, requesting her to immediately forward the said complaint and relevant information in this regard to Crime Branch of Goa Police for further legal action. I also sent an SMS from my mobile no. [withheld] to her mobile no. [withheld]. Since no reply was received in this respect from Ms. Chaudhury, I contacted her from the Police Control room on her mobile no. [withheld] again requesting her to forward the complaint of the female victim and other relevant information as told to her. She said that she would go through the mail and do the needful in the matter.
During enquiry, a copy of the information has been received from the source purported to be written/sent apparently by the alleged female victim, [name withheld]. In the said information, it is stated by the alleged female victim [name withheld] as under:[details withheld].
Taking into consideration the reports of various electronic, social and print media, and other enquiries conducted so far, and information received from sources, prima facie it appears that a cognisable offence has been committed by Shri Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka.com during the Think Fest held at Hotel Grand Hyatt, Hambolim, Goa, where the said accused allegedly committed the offence of sexual harassment and rape on a female journalist of Tehelka named [name withheld]. Hence, I hereby lodge my complaint on behalf of the state against Tarun Tejpal, Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka.com u/s 354-A, 376, 376 (2) IPC [outraging the modesty of a woman, rape, rape of a woman in the custody of the perpetrator].
Sd/ by
Ms. Sunita Sawant, Police Inspector,
CID Crime Branch, Dona Paula, Goa.
