Amid allegations of sexual assault and forced religious conversion involving employees at the Nashik office of the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), a witness has claimed that the accused used to tell other accused to “get married to Hindu women”.
The police are investigating nine complaints linked to the alleged incidents at the branch of India’s largest software exporter and have arrested seven employees, including six men and a woman. Another woman employee is currently on the run.
“They used to say, ‘Go make Hindu girls your girlfriends and marry them’. They used to say ‘convert your religion’ and used to talk about their religion,” a contractual employee at the Nashik office told .
“They were also given money. It was ongoing since 2021. The HR madam was also funded,” he said.
The police formed a special investigation team (SIT) last week to probe the complaints filed by eight women employees. They claimed that their senior colleagues mentally and sexually harassed them, and the human resources department ignored their complaints. These events took place between February 2022 and March 2026.
One of the accused repeatedly engaged in a physical relationship with an employee on the false promise of marrying her, the police said.
The accused also touched one of the employees inappropriately and made shameful remarks regarding her personal and marital life.
“When the complainant repeatedly lodged verbal complaints regarding these incidents with the company’s head officer, he failed to take cognizance of her complaints regarding the molestation; instead, he effectively abetted their actions,” the police said in a statement.
They also made obscene remarks regarding her physical appearance, the police said.
The police said the accused also forced one of the male employees to perform Namaz and insulted his religion.
When the girls approached the company’s woman HR manager with complaints, they were allegedly threatened with termination.
The arrested staffers, who have since been suspended, have been identified as Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Sheikh, Asif Aftab Ansari, and the HR manager, Nida Khan.
Nida Khan, who has been dubbed the “lady captain”, allegedly befriended the women, made them comfortable and gradually trained them to offer namaz and wear the hijab.
The parents of an accused, Raza Memon, rejected all allegations.
“He is innocent and is being framed. He is not like this,” his mother told NDTV.
‘Zero-Tolerance’: TCS On Nashik Case
TCS on Sunday asserted that it has a zero-tolerance policy on harassment and that it is fully cooperating with the police.
“TCS has a long-standing zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form. We have always ensured the highest standards of safety and well-being of our employees at the workplace,” the IT giant said in a statement.
“As soon as we were made aware of the matter in Nashik, we took swift action,” it said.
The employees being investigated have been suspended pending enquiry, the company’s spokesperson said, adding that the firm is cooperating with local law enforcement authorities, and any further action will be based on the conclusion of this investigation.
On Monday, Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran termed sexual harassment allegations as “gravely concerning and anguishing” and announced that a thorough investigation is underway under TCS’s Chief Operating Officer Arathi Subramanian to establish the facts and identify individuals responsible for the situation.
“This incident is being treated with utmost seriousness. Action has already been initiated against the accused employees, and the company is extending its full cooperation to the ongoing investigations,” Chandrasekaran, who was leading TCS as its chief executive and managing director before his appointment as the group chairman, said.
