It is clear that people in high places will do anything to save their skin by using all means, fair or foul; that Mr. Tarun Tejpal is no exception to this rule has been shown as the victim now seems to be under pressure and intimidation (Nov. 24). The case should be taken to its logical conclusion and he should not be let off lightly.
V. Padmanabhan,
San Jose, CA
While it is understandable that the identity of the victim has been concealed, it is not convincing why the media, the police and Tehelka are not coming out with what exactly happened. Further, it looks as though there are many forces trying to “lighten the offence” with a view to protecting the accused.
S. Devarajan,
Chennai
Henry Kissinger once said: “Power is the great aphrodisiac.” How right he is! With growing instances of sexual abuse coming into the limelight, it is obvious that the issue is acquiring epidemic-like proportions. What is sad is that there seem to be no checks and balances that appear to restore the confidence of women. Nothing seems to have come out of the mass protests following Delhi 2012.
Siby K. Baby,
Angamaly
The Tehelka case shows that sexual harassment is no longer an issue that can be swept under the carpet. What has happened is an example of power politics and where women continue to be harassed irrespective of caste, class, region or country. Also, right from the Anita Hill case in the U.S. to this one, the unfortunate fact is that the victim is always left to flounder in the deep end. The lesson from all this is that every organisation must develop its own women’s cell to look into and act on women’s issues.
Priyanka Chakrabarty,
Guwahati
From an editor to a politician to a retired Supreme Court judge, every pillar of our democracy seems to have flaws when it comes to ensuring women’s rights and safety. The Tehelka episode shows that enacting stringent laws is insufficient unless we implement them in a wholesome manner. Mohammed Yunus Mulla,
New Delhi
There is no atonement for sexual harassment except imprisonment. The incident, which has triggered national outrage, cannot be downplayed as an internal affair of the organisation nor can the management assume the role of the judiciary to award punishment to suit its whims and fancies.
P.K. Varadarajan,
Chennai
Recently reported cases of sexual harassment of women reveal a sickening pattern. The victims are educated middle class and the accused are influential persons working in the judiciary, politics and the media. The most worrying aspect has been the reluctance of the police to order a swift investigation even after the victims reveal their ordeal in public, presumably on account of the political clout and power of the alleged perpetrators. One shudders to speculate on the number of cases of sexual harassment involving poor women that would have been hidden from public view simply because the police were afraid to question powerful people.
V.N. Mukundarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
