NEW DELHI, Nov 20: Tarun Tejpal, chief editor of India’s respected Tehelka investigative magazine, has resigned for six months after a colleague accused him of sexual assault, reports said on Wednesday.

Mr Tejpal “has recused himself for six months as the Editor-in-Chief of Tehelka, after being accused of sexual assault by a woman journalist in the magazine,” a Tehelka source was quoted as saying.

A person close to the journalist spoke to NDTV and said it was an act of “grave sexual misconduct”.

“It happened not once, but twice and the girl is completely shattered and emotionally scarred. She continues to put forward her plea that Tehelka should set up a committee to look into sexual harassment cases according to (established) guidelines,” she said.

In an email sent to the weekly magazine’s Managing Editor, Shoma Chaudhury, Mr Tejpal wrote: “A bad lapse of judgment, an awful misreading of the situation, have led to an unfortunate incident that rails against all we believe in and fight for. I have already unconditionally apologised for my misconduct to the concerned journalist, but I feel impelled to atone further.”

He added: “I feel atonement cannot be just words. I must do the penance that lacerates me. I am therefore offering to recuse myself from the editorship of Tehelka, and from the Tehelka office, for the next six months.”

Forwarding Mr Tejpal’s mail to Tehelka’s employees on Wednesday evening, Ms Chaudhury wrote: “There has been an untoward incident, and though he has extended an unconditional apology to the colleague involved, Tarun will be recusing himself as the editor of Tehelka for the next six months.”

In statement to NDTV Ms Chaudhury was quoted as saying: “This is an internal matter. The journalist concerned is satisfied with the action taken. Tarun Tejpal’s recusing himself is in keeping with the principles of right response and standards that we want to live by.”