Read Victims complete email to Tehelka Tarun Tejpal Sexual Assault Case.docx

8/20/2019 Read Victims complete email to Tehelka Tarun Tejpal Sexual Assault Case.docx

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Read Victims complete email to Tehelka Tarun Tejpal Sexual Assault Case

22 November 201

Dear Shoma,

It is extremely painful for me to write this

email to you – I have struggled with nding

an easier way to say it, but there isn’t one.The editor in hief of Tehel!a, Tarun Te"pal,

sexually assaulted me at Thin! on two

oasions last wee!. #rom the very rst

moment, I wanted to all you, or nd you and

tell you what he had done to me – but given

how absorbed you were at Thin!$ preparingfor and onduting sessions, and the fat

that it was impossible for the two of us to get

even a minute alone together, I ould not. To

add to this, I had to proess the fat that it

was Tarun who molested me % my father’s ex

olleague and friend, Tiya’s dad, and

someone I had so deeply respeted and

admired for so many years.

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&oth times, I returned to my room in a

ompletely distraught ondition, trembling

and rying. I went straight to Shougat and

Ishan’s room, where I alled ' (ishnu andtold them what had been done to me. )*ll

three of them are opied on this email. +ou

an ontat them for any lariations you

see neessary. The seond time he molested

me, I even told Tiya what happened. -hen he

heard I’d told Tiya )she onfronted him, helashed out at me, and I beame truly terried

of what he would do. I avoided him in all

situations exept in rooms full of people,

until I he!ed out of Thin! on Sunday.

*s of Saturday evening, he sent me text

messages insinuating that I misonstrued a

drun!en banter/. That is not what happened.

&anter does not involve foring yourself on

someone, trying to disrobe them, and

penetrate them with your ngers despite

them pleading for you to stop. *s you readthrough the details of what happened in the

attahment to this mail, I hope you will also

understand how traumati and terrifying it

has been for me to report this to you % and

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yet how ritial it is that Tehel!a onstitute

an anti sexual harassment ell as per the

(isha!ha guidelines immediately, to

investigate this matter. *t the very least, Iwill need a written apology from 0r Te"pal

and an a!nowledgement of the same to be

irulated through the organi1ation. It annot

be onsidered aeptable for him to treat a

female employee in this way.

2n the night of 3th 4ovember 5678, the

opening night of Tehel!a’s Thin! festival, I

had disharged my duties for the day as the

haperone for 0r 9obert De 4iro. *s it was

0r De 4iro and his daughter’s rst night in

'oa and at the festival, my editor in hief 0r

Tarun Te"pal aompanied 0r De 4iro, Drena

De 4iro )his daughter and I to 0r De 4iro’s

suite to wish him goodnight. )*s his

haperone, my wor! was to be available all

day to 0r De 4iro and Drena, ta!e them

sightseeing, ma!e sure they were well loo!edafter in 'oa and at the :yatt – until they

retired to their suite at night.

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*s we left the suite, 0r Te"pal and I were in

onversation % I have !nown him sine I was

a hild, he had wor!ed losely with my father

who was also a "ournalist, and after myfather’s aident 0r Te"pal had always been a

paternal gure to me. :e was responsible for

o;ering me my rst "ob, and was always "ust

a phone all away whenever I needed his

advie on a story or life. :is daughter, Tiya

Te"pal and I are very lose friends as well.

*s we made our way out of the elevator of

&lo! 3 at the 'rand :yatt, 0r Te"pal held my

arm and pulled me ba! into the lift. :e said

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friendship to Tiya, my loseness to his family,

the fat that he had !nown me sine I was a

hild, the fat that I wor!ed for Tehel!a and

for Shoma =haudhury – who is my managingeditor and mentor. It was li!e tal!ing to a

deaf person. 0r Te"pal lifted my dress up,

went down on his !nees and pulled my

underwear down. :e attempted to perform

oral sex on me as I ontinued to struggle and

hysterially as!ed him to stop. *t thatmoment he began to try and penetrate me

with his ngers, I beame sared and pushed

him hard and as!ed him to stop the lift. :e

would not listen. The lift stopped on the

ground >oor as 0r Te"pal’s hands were on me

and ould not press the button for yet

another >oor to !eep it in iruit. *s soon as

the doors opened, I pi!ed up my underwear

and began wal!ing out of the elevator rapidly

– he was still following me, as!ing me what

the matter was.

I said It’s all wrong. I wor! for you and

Shoma./ :e said rst It’s alright to be in

love with more than one person,/ and then

he said, -ell, this is the easiest way for you

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to !eep your "ob./ I was wal!ing still faster,

blin!ing ba! tears.

&y this time, we had made our way from

&lo! 3 to the main lawns of the 'rand :yatt,

where I wal!ed into the grassy dinner area

full of people and 0r Te"pal wal!ed o;

towards the performane area. 9ight as soon

as he was out of sight, I too! a taxi ba! tomy hotel – the International =entre for 'oa,

where the Tehel!a sta; was staying, and

went to the room where the


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?thiopia, from Ishan Tan!ha’s i@hone and told

him what had happened.

I was onfused, hurt and really, really sared.

*t that point I did not want to lose my "ob.

*nd so the next morning, I went about my

wor! determined not to give 0r Te"pal or

Tehel!a a reason to re me, as I was surethey would do one this story got out. *t a

few points of the day, I disussed the events

of the previous night with Shougat Dasgupta,

' (ishnu and Ishan Tan!ha, who were

onerned about me after the state they had

seen me in the previous night. In the

afternoon, I aompanied 0r De 4iro, his

daughter, Sir (S 4aipaul,


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the sessions at the 0ain :all. I brought him

down to the 'reen 9oom, where 0r Te"pal

found us, and as!ed me to bring 0r De 4iro

ba! down for 0r *mitabh &ahhan’ssession as he wanted the two to meet. I too!

0r De 4iro and his daughter shopping to

@an"im, and brought them ba! in time for 0r

&ahhan’s session as instruted. 2ne the

session was done, 0r Te"pal, 0r De 4iro, 0r

&ahhan and a few other members of thelm industry, lawyers, politiians et were

supposed to meet at the &lo! 3 'rand =lub

for drin!s.

I esorted 0r De 4iro and Drena to this bar,

told them I would return to my hotel, hange,

and be right ba!. -hile I was getting

dressed at my hotel, 0r Te"pal alled me from

Tha!urAi’s phone )Tha!ur"i is the areta!er

and manager of Tehel!a’s &ombay oBe

premises and as!ed me where I was. I

informed him I was "ust about to leave for the'rand :yatt. In the taxi I notied he had

already sent me two text messages on my

phone whih said -here r uC/ at E5Fand

then CC/ at EG5. from his personal number.

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I replied with the following messagesE 2nmy way to the lounge/ .G5 pm, :ad to sort

out a lost pa!age for Drena and get a bit

presentable. See you in 76/ at .GG pm and

=all tee she needs you/ at .G3 pm as Tiya

had messaged me as!ing to help her nd

Tarun. *t this point I was trying to be asnormal and professional as possible and

somehow get through my duties.

#ive minutes later, as I was wal!ing into the

'rand =lub at &lo! 3, 0r Te"pal was oming

out of the lounge. :e pointed at me as!ing

me to stop. I was already worried that I was

late and that 0r De 4iro had as!ed for me.

0r Te"pal ame to me and said =ome up with

me, we have to get something from &ob’s

room/. I was frightened that this would lead

to a repeat of the previous night and so I

said, -hat does he needC I’ll go get it./ Iwas sared of getting into the lift with him

again, and more terried that he was going

to try and ta!e me into a room this time. &y

this time he was holding me by the wrist and

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had ta!en me into the lift )whih is barely a

few steps away from the lobby of blo! 3

where he had as!ed me to wait. -hen the

doors losed, he started to try and !iss meagain. I said Tarun, please, no, "ust stop,/

he pulled away, smiled, patted my hee! and

said -hyC 2!. I’ll stop./ I said again This

"ust isn’t right. Tiya is my best friend. I had

lunh with 'eetan today.

:e smiled again and "ust for a moment I

thought I had appealed to his better sense. I

turned away from him, desperately waiting

for the door to open )there are only three

>oors in &lo! 3 )', 7 and 5, we were

between >oors. -ithin seonds of my

turning around, he started to lift up my

dress. :e lifted it all the way up and said

+ou’re unbelievable/. The door opened on

the seond >oor, on 0r De 4iro’s >oor % and

he said again – The universe is telling us

something/ to whih I said I’m ta!ing thestairs/ and started to wal! out. :e pulled me

ba! in, sensing that I was on the verge of

hysteria % by this point, he was totally

omfortable physially manhandling me, but

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sensing my sheer pani, he did not touh me

until the lift reahed the ground >oor. 9ight

as the doors were about to open, he patted

my behind one more.

I wal!ed out of the lift, went to the 'rand

=lub and immediately informed Ishan Tan!ha

that 0r Te"pal had tried to molest me again.

Ishan said *gainC -hat the fu! is wrongwith himC/ :e was ompletely disgusted and

said one more that we should "ust resign

immediately. *s I was to aompany 0r De

4iro to the dining area, I somehow omposed

myself. 0r De 4iro was mobbed by fans – and

I had to ta!e him away from the main garden

to the =api1 &ar. I was sitting at the =api1 &ar

with 0r De 4iro and his daughter when

TiyaTe"pal ame there to "oin us.

This was the rst time the two of us had

really met sine the inident of the previousnight. Sine I had moved to 0umbai about a

year and a half ago, Tiya had grown to

beome one of my losest friends. She lives

aross the road from my house in 0umbai

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and barely a day had passed when the two of

us did not meet or tal! to eah other

onstantly. She was sitting beside me, and

0r De 4iro was absorbed in onversationwith his daughter. I ould not !eep something

of this magnitude from her. I told her she

would hate me for what I was telling her – but

that 0r Te"pal had tried to molest me on

these two separate oasions. I said :e

tried to shove his tongue down my throat andthen too! my panties o;/, when Tiya replied

saying I saw him do this to a woman when I

was thirteen, so it doesn’t surprise me

anymore,/ but she was learly disgusted.

Tiya left the =api1 &ar right after this. In half

an hour, 0r De 4iro and Drena as!ed to be

dropped ba! to their room. They were

extremely upset at the day’s events beause

0r De 4iro had all but been assaulted by fans

at the dinner table, and they as!ed me to

onvey this to 0r Te"pal. -hen I ame downfrom &lo! 3, I found 0r Te"pal sitting at a

table with several people and alled him

away from the table, but still in full view of

everyone, so I ould relay 0r De 4iro’s

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message privately.

I said &ob is really upset about tonight, he

got mobbed really badly../ to whih 0r Te"pal

replied I don’t give a fu! about &ob. :ow

ould you tell Tiya what happenedC/ I said

Tarun, I told you Tiya and I are lose and

what you did wasn’t o!ay, I had to tell her,/to whih he said She’s my daughter. Do you

even understand what the word meansC Aust

get away from me, I’m so fu!ing pissed o;

with you right now./

I left from the spot rying, found Tiya outside

her room in the main performane area and

as!ed her what she had said to her father.

She said There was no other way. *s soon as

you told me I wished you hadn’t, but you

an’t tell me what to say to him – I told himto !eep it in his pants./ I said I’m probably

going to lose my "ob over this/, she agreed,

but also said It’ll be a bad phase but it’ll

pass./ 2n this night as well, I left the 'rand

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:yatt and went to my hotel, found Shougat

Dasgupta, Ishan Tan!ha and ' (ishnu and

told them what had happened. I also alled

my boyfriend and told him that 0r Te"pal wasaware of the fat that I wasn’t staying Huiet,

and that he was extremely angry that I had

told his daughter. The next morning, I alled

my mother and told her everything that had

happened. ?veryone was most worried for my

safety and advised me to leave Thin! as soonas possible % however sine my day’s wor!

involved me staying away from the 'rand

:yatt and staying at a ompletely di;erent

part of 'oa for the day with 0r De 4iro and

his daughter, I felt temporarily safe. *t this

time 0rTe"pal sent me the following texts

from his personal number.

7. I hope you told Tiya that it was "ust

drun!en banter, and nothing else/

To whih I replied – I told her we were both

drun!/ – beause it was true that everyone

had had a few drin!s on the rst night. &ut

not the seond, when he assaulted me

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minutes after I had reahed the 'rand :yatt.

:owever, this was the rst time 0r Te"pal had

said anything to me after lashing out at me

the previous night, and I was still very afraidof him.

:e then sent me a seond messageE

5. *nd "ust banter, nothing else/ – to whih I

did not reply, beause there was no way what

he had done to me ould have been

desribed as banter/.

Sensing that I had lammed up at his attempt

to sugaroat what really happened, he sent

me a third messageE

8. -hyCC -hat’s happenedCC/

I did not reply to this message. -ithin

minutes, he sent me a fourth message, one

that onvined me he saw absolutely nothing

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wrong with what he had done, and was in

fat now trying to shame me for tal!ing to

TiyaE

G. I an’t believe u went and mentioned

even the smallest thing to her. -hat an

absene of any understanding of a parent

hild relationship./

*fter this message, I made sure to stay away

from 0r Te"pal exept when we were in

extremely publi situations only – suh as the

Spea!ers 'reen 9oom at the :yatt, or the

lobby of the hotel. That evening as well, I

steered ompletely lear of him. :e made no

mention of anything that had ourred the

next day, and the only thought on my mind

was to get 0r De 4iro on his plane and leave

Thin!. I had to spea! to 0rTe"pal several

times on Sunday the Fth of 4ovember to

oordinate 0r De 4iro’s travel plans, but inthese alls he made no mention of anything

that had ourred. 2ne I dropped 0r De 4iro

to the 'oa *irport at G.86 pm, I had no

further ontat with 0r Te"pal.

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:owever, on 7J.77.5678, 0r Te"pal messaged

me a number of times

7.:ave you spo!en to TeeC Is she 2!C/

To whih I repliedE -hy would she be o!about the fat that you sexually assaulted

her best friend, that is meC/

5.-hat’s with saying this awful stu;CC/

To whih I repliedE Do not send me any

messages. +ou are lying and you !now that.

8.2h is that soC I herished you li!e one of

my best !ids always, all these years$ andbeause of one drun!en banter you so easily

say these awful things.

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To whih I repliedE It was twie Tarun, not

one and it was no banter. +ou did the most

horrible things to me and I ertainly was not

drun!. I as!ed you to stop repeatedly.

G.2h so that’s what you told Tee. 4o wonder

she’s so madly upset. Its o!. *m not going to

ontest anything with her. -ill let time and

my love heal what it an./

K.Don’t thin! I’ve been more saddened in

the longest time/

I have no doubt that 0r Te"pal was trying to

establish his innoene in a devious manner.

If he needed to get in touh with his

daughter, he ould have done so anytime he

desired, through his wife or daughter or

nephew or anyone from his family without

messaging me about her, or falsely laimingthat all that happened was La drun!en

banter’. This was no banter, it was most

learly sexual assault. *s a reporter for

Tehel!a who writes on violene against

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women, I suddenly nd myself in the horri

situation of disovering what it is li!e to be

on the reeiving end of this violene from a

powerful man I one deeply admired andrespeted. I truly hope that the idea of

Tehel!a is still intat – and that you will

ondut an inHuiry into this matter at the

earliest.

9eality views by sm –

#riday, 4ovember 55, 5678

Tags – Tarun Te"pal 9ape Case Sex Assault Case

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Read Victims complete email to Tehelka Tarun Tejpal Sexual Assault Case.docx

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