Goa Police concealing key piece of proof in rape case: Tarun Tejpal

PANAJI: Tehelka founder Tarun Tejpal, charged with raping a junior colleague and chargesheeted in the case, today accused the Goa Police of "concealing" a crucial piece of evidence which he claimed proves his innocence.

The 50-year-old incarcerated journalist said his innocence can be proved through a CCTV footage that has been kept under the wraps by the investigating agency.

In a statement from jail e-mailed to media by his family members, Tejpal described the chargesheet against him, running into 2,846 pages and filed in a court here yesterday, as "highly spurious".

"If conclusive proof was needed of the political vendetta that has been unleashed against me, under the guise of a sexual molestation investigation, it has been emphatically provided today.

"I'm afraid what we are witnessing here is an early sign of the inherent fascism of the right wing that will target its detractors in the most sinister and underhand ways, using all the government machinery at its disposal," he added.