The Nashik city police have shared details of alleged incidents of sexual harassment of employees at BPO (business process outsourcing) linked to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) with the National Investigation Agency (NIA), Maharashtra Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) and intelligence agencies, seeking their help in investigating the possible links of the accused with extremist organizations and any foreign funding, a senior officer said on Wednesday.
Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik told reporters that the Special Investigation Team is probing the role of eight accused, all senior employees of the BPO, who have been named in the case so far.
“The police have provided all details of the case to the NIA, state counter-terrorism department and intelligence agencies. We can determine whether the accused has any international links or external support for such illegal activities only after receiving inputs from them,” Karnik said.
The development comes as the investigation expands beyond workplace misconduct to examine potentially larger networks. Nine FIRs were registered between March 26 and April 3 — one at Deolali and eight at Mumbai Naka police stations — based on complaints filed by nine junior employees alleging sexual assault, harassment and religious coercion.
A Nashik court also heard the matter on Wednesday with Additional Judicial Magistrate RC Narawdia ordering that the Director of Operations and Human Resources, who was arrested on April 13, be remanded in judicial custody for 14 days.
Read also: How six policewomen went undercover to investigate rape and sexual assault charges at TCS in Nashik
So far, seven of the eight defendants – six men and one woman – have been arrested, while another woman is still on the run. Explaining the role of the two accused, Karnik said that the arrests and the head of the human resources unit dissuaded the victim from filing a complaint, saying that “these things happen” and sided with the accused. The other accused woman faces charges of religious harassment.
Bajrang Dal calls for nationwide protest
Meanwhile, the Bajrang Dal has called for a nationwide protest on April 16-17 to denounce the alleged cases of sexual harassment and forced conversion in Nashik Bhu.
