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Published 03 Dec, 2013 07:53am

Tejpal’s ordeal begins afresh

NEW DELHI, Dec 2: Police in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled state of Goa seem determined to inflict every possible humiliation on Tarun Tejpal, the disgraced former editor of Tehelka, subjecting him to a sexual potency test on Monday although it would be vestigial to the grim charge of rape he faces.

“Officials at Goa Medical College, where he was brought for the potency test that is mandatory in sexual assault cases, said that the examination fetched positive result,” said a report, echoing several other similar accounts.

They said 50-year-old Mr Tejpal was subjected to various other tests, including blood test, at the college’s forensic department. He was medically examined for five hours in the morning and later brought again at 3.15pm for further tests, sources said.

Goa Medical College Dean V. N. Jindal said that the tests were conducted as per the requirement of the investigation agency.

Mr Tejpal spent the night at a police lock-up in Panjim with two murder accused and an anti-social person, after he was arrested by the Crime Branch. Mr Tejpal, who was arrested in a sexual assault case, was earlier referred for mandatory medical check-up at Goa Medical College near Panaji at 12:30 midnight.Police sources added that he remained calm after his arrest, during medical check-up and also in the lock-up. But some reports on Monday said he broke down during sustained investigation on Sunday. The 50-year-old-journalist refused to talk to the media after his medical check-up, when he emerged from Goa Medical College.

A woman journalist, who has since rsigned from Tehelka, had accused Mr Tejpal of sexually assaulting her twice on November 7 and 8 in Goa. He has been booked under Section 354A (outraging the modesty of a woman) and 376 (2)(K) (custodial rape) of IPC. Mr Tejpal was arrested on Saturday by crime branch after his anticipatory bail petition was rejected by sessions court.

Mr Tejpal was intensely disliked by the BJP and several other political and business groups on whom he famously carried out his sting operations.

He was interrogated by investigating officer Sunita Sawant and others.

Police began interrogating Tejpal around 3pm Sunday, seeking to corroborate the sequence of events which the victim had stated in her complaint.

Police have seized Mr Tejpal’s cellphone so as to secure the conversation between him and the victim.

During the hearing on the remand, Goa police had informed the court that Mr Tejpal’s interrogation was required to bring on record the emails exchanged between him and the woman he allegedly raped. Goa police told the court that Mr Tejpal must have sent the email either from his personal cellphone, laptop, office computer and friend’s computer or from other sources which need to be seized.

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