Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpa breaks down, in custody for 6 days

Panaji: Tehelka founder editor Tarun Tejpal broke down on Sunday while being interrogated by Goa police crime branch at their office in Dona Paula, police officers said. The interrogation lasted five hours after which he was taken to Panaji police station lockup.

Earlier, Tejpal was remanded to police custody for six days. He will be taken for a medical examination later.

Tejpal was interrogated by investigating officer PI 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 Tejpal’s cellphone so as to secure the conversation between him and victim.

During the hearing on the remand, Goa police had informed the court that Tejpal’s interrogation was required to bring on record the emails exchanged between him and the girl. Goa police told the court that 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.

Goa police also said a police team will be sent to seize the items.

Police had sought Tejpal’s custody for 14 days. Tejpal’s lawyer Geetha Luthra argued in court that 14 days police custody was not justified. At the end of arguments Panaji judicial magistrate first class (JMFC) Kshama Joshi remanded Tejpal to six days police custody.

Speaking to mediapersons outside the court, Luthra said that they are satisfied with the court decision.

Tejpal’s family was present in the court premises but neither they, nor media were not allowed to attend the hearing as it was held in the judge’s chambers. This led to some arguments between journalists and police.

Tejpal was arrested for the sexual assault on his junior colleague last month in Goa. He was produced by crime branch officials before the JMFC court at 11.50am on Sunday.

On Saturday, after his anticipatory bail application had been rejected by the district session court at around 8pm, Tejpal was arrested at 9pm and sent for medical examination past midnight.

Tejpal’s counsel has moved an application before the JMFC to install a fan in the Panaji police lock up, where Tejpal had been kept.

Tejpal spent his first night at Panaji police cell with two others who had been arrested by the state forest department. He was served a vegetable dish and rotis on Saturday night delivered by the family. Before the food was served to him, the person who had come on behalf of the family to deliver food was asked to taste the food. Police said he has been allowed to eat dal, rice and a vegetable dish brought from outside.

Sunday morning Tejpal was served local bread and tea along with the others in the lockup, but police did not confirm whether he had his breakfast in the police cell.