Tehelka’s response is inadequate and dishonest
New Delhi. More than two dozen activists, journalists, academicians rejected Tehelka’s response as dishonest. These civil society members also demand that media houses must mandatorily set up committees against sexual harassment to make workplaces safer for women employees.

Aliya of Women Connect, Academic Apoorvanand, Asad Ashraf of Jamia Students Solidarity Forum, Bhasha, Senior Journalist, Bhawna Sharma, Mohd Aamir Khan and Manan Trivedi of Anhad, Writer Juhi Jain, Feminist and Human Rights Activist Kamayani Bali Maabal, Anti Nuke Activist Kumar Sundaram, Madhuresh Kumar of NAPM, Civil Rights Activist Mahtab Alam, Manisha Sethi of Jamia Teachers Solidarity Association, Mansi Sharma of Focus on the Global South, Writer Meera Rizvi, Filmmaker Puneet Sharma, Women’s Rights Activist Purwa Bharadwaj, Sania Hashmi of Anhad Media, Sanjay Kapoor of Hardnews, Shabnam Hashmi of Anhad, Women’s Rights Activist Sheeba Aslam Fehmi, Tajally Sheharyar and Tariq Anwar of Jamia Students Solidarity Forum, Tarique Anwar of Daily Bhaskar, Vineet Tiwari of MPPWA, Wilfred D Costa of INSAF and Zakia Soman of Bhartiya Muslim Mahila Andolan said in a joint statement, “We, express our deepest dismay at the manner in which the newsmagazine Tehelka has responded to the allegations of sexual harassment against its owner-editor, Tarun Tejpal. Tehelka has clearly chosen to downplay and trivialize an instance of extremely grave sexual assault and misuse of a position of power by Tejpal by calling it an “untoward incident”. Worse, the magazine’s editor chose to call it “an internal matter” but conducted no internal probe in consonance with the Vishakha guidelines against sexual harassment at workplaces. The pious assertions of ‘atonement’, ‘laceration’ and ‘recusing’ are highly inadequate and dishonest as a response to this serious misconduct. In fact the attempt to paint himself as a martyr by stepping aside for six months has only aggravated Tejpal’s misconduct.”

“The announcement this evening of a possible enquiry committee to probe Tejpal’s conduct is belated and an afterthought – made only under pressure following the public outrage – whereas an impartial enquiry should have been set up right after the journalist complained to the Managing editor. But beyond this one event, there are two things that we should note. First, the appalling lack of institutionalized mechanisms to deal with complaints of sexual violence in media houses, where senior editors enjoy great power over the careers of young journalists; and the salacious and unrestrained manner in which the social media has quoted from the complainant’s letter to the magazine’s editor, thereby disclosing her identity, whereas, greater sensitivity needed to be displayed”, said civil society members. They demanded that Tarun Tejpal’s misconduct be subjected to independent scrutiny in accordance with Supreme Court guidelines followed by appropriate action. They also demanded that media houses must mandatorily set up committees against sexual harassment to make workplaces safer for women employees.

Hastakshep