"Here is the 'Victim' getting cozy with her 'Rapist' on the very next day after two alleged 'assaults'!" says an email that several people received on Tuesday. The message includes a photo of the woman who alleged that journalist Tarun Tejpal had sexually assaulted her in November, standing between her alleged assailant and actor Robert De Niro. "Check out her pose!!! Is she traumatised?? – No!! Is she happy?? – Yes!!!!" Her face is visible on the image, though her eyes have been covered by a black strip.
The message claims that the photo was shot on November 9, the day after Tejpal was alleged to have sexually assaulted the woman for a second time in a lift in Goa's Grand Hyatt Hotel. The alleged attack occurred during Think, a literary and cultural festival associated with 'Tehelka' magazine, which Tejpal edited at the time and for which the woman worked. De Niro was a speaker at the event and the woman had been deputed to chaperone the actor to his session.
The email was dispatched using a mass e-mailing software called MailChimp. Some people received the email from "Karan Singh", using the address ks685749@gmail.com.
On Wednesday, the woman submitted a complaint about the e-mail message to the Goa Police, noting that it is a gross violation of her privacy and that it was aimed at intimidating her. "This email clearly discloses my identity and seeks to deny me the protection granted by law, by encouraging a wide dissemination of the contents of the same," she said in her complaint.
She said that the photograph was taken in the green room of the hotel, with between 40 to 50 people present, as De Niro was waiting for his session to begin. Tehelka photographers in the room shot several photos of the actor in the company of Tehelka staffers and De Niro’s fans. "As Mr De Niro's chaperone, I was directed by Mr Tejpal and other staffers to come forward and have this photograph taken," her complaint says.
She said the photograph, "which was available on the Tehelka server has been circulated, illegally and without my consent, via email to several members of society, including senior media persons. It is being presented completely out of context, along with several malicious comments about my 'appearance' and the veracity of my complaint."
The journalist alleged that she has been subjected to "a systematic and virulent campaign to falsify facts and the truth". She elaborated, "In the past two months, I have been informed by several senior editors and journalists that my photographs, false stories about my life and a total obfuscation of the official conversations I had with senior Tehelka editors after I made the complaint, are in wide circulation."
Tejpal's lawyer, Geeta Luthra, did not respond to a message seeking a statement about this message.
Kavita Krishnan, the secretary of the left-wing All India Progressive Women’s Association, said that the chain message only reiterated the difficulties faced by victims of sexual assault in their struggle for justice. "Since last year, there's so much talk about how women are bolder and coming forward to file complaints about assault," she said. "But this shows how hard it is to fight the insinuations. It demonstrates that there's a tremendous misogynistic backlash. It's tough for even strong women to face this kind of malice."
Here is a portion of the email message in question.
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The message claims that the photo was shot on November 9, the day after Tejpal was alleged to have sexually assaulted the woman for a second time in a lift in Goa's Grand Hyatt Hotel. The alleged attack occurred during Think, a literary and cultural festival associated with 'Tehelka' magazine, which Tejpal edited at the time and for which the woman worked. De Niro was a speaker at the event and the woman had been deputed to chaperone the actor to his session.
The email was dispatched using a mass e-mailing software called MailChimp. Some people received the email from "Karan Singh", using the address ks685749@gmail.com.
On Wednesday, the woman submitted a complaint about the e-mail message to the Goa Police, noting that it is a gross violation of her privacy and that it was aimed at intimidating her. "This email clearly discloses my identity and seeks to deny me the protection granted by law, by encouraging a wide dissemination of the contents of the same," she said in her complaint.
She said that the photograph was taken in the green room of the hotel, with between 40 to 50 people present, as De Niro was waiting for his session to begin. Tehelka photographers in the room shot several photos of the actor in the company of Tehelka staffers and De Niro’s fans. "As Mr De Niro's chaperone, I was directed by Mr Tejpal and other staffers to come forward and have this photograph taken," her complaint says.
She said the photograph, "which was available on the Tehelka server has been circulated, illegally and without my consent, via email to several members of society, including senior media persons. It is being presented completely out of context, along with several malicious comments about my 'appearance' and the veracity of my complaint."
The journalist alleged that she has been subjected to "a systematic and virulent campaign to falsify facts and the truth". She elaborated, "In the past two months, I have been informed by several senior editors and journalists that my photographs, false stories about my life and a total obfuscation of the official conversations I had with senior Tehelka editors after I made the complaint, are in wide circulation."
Tejpal's lawyer, Geeta Luthra, did not respond to a message seeking a statement about this message.
Kavita Krishnan, the secretary of the left-wing All India Progressive Women’s Association, said that the chain message only reiterated the difficulties faced by victims of sexual assault in their struggle for justice. "Since last year, there's so much talk about how women are bolder and coming forward to file complaints about assault," she said. "But this shows how hard it is to fight the insinuations. It demonstrates that there's a tremendous misogynistic backlash. It's tough for even strong women to face this kind of malice."
Here is a portion of the email message in question.