Tarun Tejpal’s Blitz of Sleaze Sputters
The Argentine team of the 1990 Soccer World Cup was a great example of a consortium of the young and the old fighting together for glory on the soccer pitches. Led by the snazzy Maradona, the team went on to be the runners-up whence nobody even accorded the ritualistic privilege of qualifying beyond group stage, even by the sheer virtue of having the formidable Maradona within their ranks. To add to their worries, the first choice goalkeeper Pampido injured himself against the Russians in a group game. It was Sergio Goycochea, who was brought in the Penalty Shoot-Out against the Yugoslavs in the Quarter-Finals. Sergio took the team to the pinnacle through his performance under the bar in the Penalty Shoot-Out and gave entire Italy and another model, Roberto Baggio. Nobody was sure to net the ball when Sergio was guarding the nets.
The Highlight of the 1990 World Cup was the Argentine Team, which lived by penalties and died by it in the finals.
Something similar is happening in the Indian Media Establishment. Those who started to trap their targets through illicit pleasure offerings are now falling off the cliff due to misdemeanours, and are facing rape charges. Those who made a living through carnal pleasures are now being put to the gallows of obscurity by the same.
Right from the downright blackmailing of a Chief Minister to allow hosting a media event in Goa to selectively publishing stories in lieu of a consideration, the Indian secular media has actually come of age albeit in an obscene manner. In this case of course, we’re talking about Tehelka in the wake of sordid allegations cast against its founder-editor Tarun Tejpal who was accused of sexual assault by a female staff, a girl old enough to be his daughter.
In fact, the grime and dirt of the Secularatti, which forms the basic crust of the Manhattan Dreams of media persons, are an old story which has been on the Internet for long. However, in the absence of social media enjoying the same patronage from the Government quarters—indeed, a sizeable chunk of these Manhattan Dream chasers have been complicit in urging the Government to clamp down on social media, a threat to the Right to Opinion—it has been relegated largely to a Twitter discourse.
In such circumstances, the entire episode may be swept under the carpet as was in the case of Sayema Sahar despite the National Commission for Women playing up the act of omission.
There have been some limited efforts to unveil the truth from a journalist working with the cohort channel of the UPA. However, despite the common knowledge of the media being the fourth estate of a democracy, the pillar didn’t support the structure and merely made distant noises: naming and shaming them was not a policy with some if not most of the media houses.
Irrespective of the earlier faux pas, can this nation afford to make do with a terse statement suggesting “…there was an incident which has been dealt with internally. An unconditional apology was extended by Tarun. The journalist concerned was satisfied with the action taken. Tarun voluntarily recusing himself as editor is in keeping with the standards we have espoused as an institution and want to live by?”
Will the Constitution of India be subservient to this institution which the editor refers to? Can the legalities be thrown out of the window allowing the delinquent to gloss through his own books in holiday destinations? Is it to be construed that stepping aside for six months is a decent not to mention legitimate answer in a prima facie sexual assault charge?
Will the National Commission for Women and the legal framework of this nation wait for someone to take a pen and paper and write an official complaint before making an attempt to clear the muck? Can this be treated as a closed chapter before it opens up? Is there a case for our agencies to look into better methods to ensure there is a sexual offences committee set up ab initio and not at a later stage, which seems to be the case with Tehelka?
How long will the law of the land stretch the dictums of privacy, which has already gotten many an errant high and the mighty off the hook? Can an ‘incident’ (sic) of molestation and/or rape just be treated as a private matter?
Given what has happened, and the kind of allegations that abound about Tehelka, it is an obvious indication that there is something really fishy at Tehelka, and the non-filing of a complaint may be result of pressure or negotiation.
Whatever may be the outcome of the case in the legal domain, few things have been established beyond reasonable doubt throughout the murky history of Tehelka: it is akin to a strong rejoinder to a universal phenomenon which has been in force across time and space. Those who live by the sword, die by it. Tehelka rose to its present stature of proximity to power and wealth, and mastered the “journalism” of conduit by becoming the designer of adversities, which it introduced in a positive public discourse. It accomplished this perverse feat by baiting human carnal instincts, and as we now see, it is nearing its own death as a consequence.
The Argentine 1990 World Cup Team lived through penalties and died by them in the finals. God or whatever other higher force is pretty regular with the application of the Newton’s Third Law.
Dear Ms Shobha Srivastava, first, I congratulate you for writing grammatically correct English, should I say good English, a rare commodity these days.
Your simile is excellent but the contents are far fetched; that Tarun Tejpal (TT) and Tehelka etc. resorted to earning money via blackmail, extortion et al, with their threatening expose’s etc. don’t sound logically correct. I’m a scientist, don’t understand much about the fights among different TV channels and journalists; but the rivalry looks exactly like ‘cannibalism’. Different TV channels and journalists (e.g. Arnab Goswami of Times Now, as if he has some personal rivalry against TT etc. ), and not only Times Now, each and every channel barks with the same frequency and so do the news papers….and most of you journalists… this is nothing but cannibalism of a different kind…..any way, to speak the least I can remind you’ll of what all Tehelka has given to this largely corrupt country…..it has, to a minute extent, cleaned the country of the huge never-ending burden of corruption….and see what its getting back….. Just compare a ‘alleged’ sexual harassment / assault -vs- the quantum of economic, social benefits TT and tehelka have given us…..no comparison !!!
So what if there’s not an iota of evidence of blackmail or extortion against any reporter or editor of this magazine? Anyway, let’s stop Tehelka, Frontline, Open, Hindu, India Express, Governance Today and keep believing the genuines like ToI, HT, and all their brothers/sisters owned by business/political interests!
[…] Dr. Shobha Srivastava in her analysis of the Tarun Tejpal sexual assault episode, mentioned similar cases of harassment of women in the […]
bit by bit a true expose of Journalism of blackmail prevailing in India, Exposing Political biased Journalists & in-depth analysis of how Karma pays you back.A must read.
Decisive, Cogent, Brilliant Piece !
Great Going, India Facts !
Tehelka, going by its past records, seems to be an organization built on blackmail, casting aspersions, innuendos, and slander. This Tarun J Tejpal reminds me of Steve Victor and his Organization for Rational Guidance of Youth (ORGY). Just imagine, he has tried to disrobe, fingered and thrust into a girl who is his daughter’s best friend! With what face can he make eye-contact with his daughter ever in his life? The secularatti has lost its right hand in its campaign of calumny against Sri NaMo. It would make pretty interesting watching how things unfold in the coming days, and especially what NCW does.
What does this article convey- talking about unrelated events, hinting things, avoiding taking of names. Raising questions & passing judgements. Why can’t the article be more straight forward & hard hitting ?? Sorry but I Didn’t like it
This article has shown the mirror to those people who used to take sadistic pleasure and money by racking up the mud on behest of the present Govt in the power.I do not know loud mouth like Arindam Goswami,Barha Dutt,Karan Thapar,Vir Sangavi(good for nothing so called jouralist) will dare to take a stand on this issue or not
Thae man who stood for ethical values in politics as well as in public life and who is considered as an ‘iimmaculate in character’ by not less than Javed Akhter can stoop so low in the sexual assault of his staffer and again defend himself as the victim is of his daughter’s age,The law of the land should be applied here and the victim’s right must be protected. Tejpal must not be forgiven and medis must stand against him
its a trfuthful analysis of tehelka & team
Look who is talking……
Mr. Anjum of News24 writes on Tarun Tejpal harassment story,
खुद ही मुजरिम और खुद ही मुंसिफ कैसे हो सकते हैं बॉस …..
बड़े गौर से सुन रहा था ये जमाना तुम्ही फंस गए दास्तां कहते- कहते!
मैने पहले भी कई बार लिखा है …फिर कह रहा हूं कि अगर मीडिया में भी नारायण साईं और आसाराम हैं तो उनका असली चेहरा भी सामने आना चाहिए ….हम दूसरों को आईना दिखाते हैं …दूसरों को नसीहत देते हैं …..संतों और शैतानों से लेकर नेताओं और अभिनेताओं के चरित्र पर चिंतन करते हैं तो फिर अपने भीतर भी झांकना चाहिए … लड़कियों को भी हिम्मत करके आगे आना चाहिए …अगर सुप्रीम कोर्ट के जज के आचरण के खिलाफ एक इंटर्न सामने नहीं आई होती तो पता नहीं चलता कि जज भी ऐसा कर सकते हैं …मीडिया में बहुत दुर्योधन होंगे …
Bravo Mr. Anjum! its easier said than done!
I must say your memory is very short lived, let me remind you of 27th June 2013, Media Khabar had organized a Media Conclave in memory of of S. P. Singh, practically all the stalwarts of Electronic Media barring the editor in Chief of ABP news, were present. I too had an opportunity to be a part of this conclave , where I asked Ajeet Anjum and Mr. Naqvi , and Mr. Rahul Dev that why did they chose to keep quiet when I was being victimized at India’s no.1 news Channel ABP new formerly known as Star News.
And Mr. Anjum had the audacity to say “ there is no answer” rest of them present there chose to keep quiet.
But Mr. Naqvi has decided to break his silence now, better late than never, this is what he has to say on Mr. Tejpal”s Story
Qamar Waheed Naqvi 6 hours ago via Mobile तरुण तेजपाल पर लगे यौन शोषण के आरोपों पर क़ानूनी प्रक्रिया को दरकिनार कैसे किया जा सकता है? क़ानूनी प्रक्रिया से मामले का निपटारा हो, यही सही रास्ता है
• Foreign Affairs Editor, CNN-IBN & Anchor-Suhasini Haider writes- Tehelka case is eg of how not to deal w/ sexual assault. Hope those in charge will give the young girl the courage to file a police complaint.Anyone who advises a sexual assault victim not to file a police case is guilty. It is our silence that enables, emboldens offenders the most.
Why did you chose to keep quiet when I needed you most Ms Haider?
No Media House , No National Commission of Women, No Minority Commission has the right or has a face to comment on Mr. Tarun Tejpal harassment story because they chose to keep quiet , when I, Sayema Sahar a suspended employee of Star News aka ABP news went from pillar to post to all these commissions, media houses pleading them to come with me in my fight for justice ..but they turned a deaf ear to my woeful tale of harassment.
Vulnerable, hapless, helpless and traumatized I went to the HR, I went to the editor In Chief of Star News/ ABP News, pleading to give me a patient hearing only to be further harassed by the system.
When I was denied any help of any sort within the organisation I went to NCW, least did I know at that time that it is a compromised commission which has no tooth of its own.
I was made to believe that my integrity and my modesty were in safe hands but I was mistaken, NCW chose to go my employers, way.
My fight with THIS BIG MEDIA HOUSE is still on, with no help from anywhere, its just my belief in the age old adage that “truth always triumphs” that keeps me going .
Witnesses were created, documentary evidences were deleted , and the men who harassed me were promoted at Star News/ ABP News.
I know not of the unfortunate girl in Mr. Tajpal’s case but I would certainly want to give her a word of caution , for not going to these toothless bodies, it would only add to her agony.
I started my fight for justice when my baby was 6 months old , she is 4 and a half today and my fight still continues….
Awesome. Not just this report but all of IndiaFacts follow you diligently. Love it.
Forensic analysis! Remind me not to be investigated for any wrong doing by Ms. Srivastava!
India Facts has now come of age with real time breaking stories and editorials, it has shown its competence to publish the opinions backed with real and cogent facts. This is stupendous research by the writer……You are going places ! Congratulations !