Nashik’s once placid industrial landscape has been rocked by an alleged scandal involving a BPO unit linked to Tata Consultancy Services, where allegations of rape, systematic sexual harassment and organized religious coercion led to a wide-ranging criminal investigation.
Nashik police have so far registered nine FIRs and arrested seven BPO employees. While police described 26-year-old Nida Khan as the “fugitive mastermind” behind the alleged religious conversion attempts, her family has come forward to strongly refute the allegations. The family has alleged crime and digital harassment based on mere allegations.
40-day undercover investigation: police
The extent of the alleged organized business within the BPO was revealed after an undercover operation, police said. After receiving a tip-off in early February about some actions by some employees, six female police officers went undercover at the Nashik facility for 40 days.
These officers, disguised as ordinary employees, monitored workstations and meetings, and reported cases of misconduct to their superiors. This confirmed initial reports, leading to official police action.
The first FIR was lodged on March 26 by a 23-year-old employee of Devlali police station. She accused her senior colleague, Danish Sheikh, of repeated rape under the pretext of marriage, alleging that he failed to disclose that he was already married. Following this initial complaint, eight more employees, including one man, came forward to report instances of sexual, mental, and religious harassment.
Controversy over Nida Khan
Central to the police narrative is Nida Khan, whom authorities portrayed as a high-level mastermind responsible for religious harassment. However, her family told Hindustan Times that Nida Khan is currently at home in Mumbai, expecting her first child, and is not “on the run”.
Her uncle stated that no police officers had yet approached their door to search for her whereabouts.
The family also objected to the police’s description of their professional role. While a photo circulating on social media describes her as “Head of Human Resources”, the family claims that her photo was taken from Instagram and that the designation was fabricated. Multiple sources and family members confirm that she was on the phone in the sales team, and had no affiliation with the HR department.
Khan, a commerce graduate currently pursuing an MBA, had moved to Mumbai in January to be with her husband. It is learned that her lawyer is currently filing an anticipatory bail application.
Khan’s brother said: “For the first two days when the police announced the whole case, we thought it was possible that there was another woman with the same name who was booked by the police, but then she herself told us that a case had been filed against her. Our entire family suffered enormous psychological trauma.”
Of the nine FIRs filed, Khan was named in an FIR lodged at Devlali police station on March 26 related to religious harassment.
Allegations of systematic harassment and coercion
The FIRs speak of an environment where senior employees are alleged to be abusing their power to target junior employees.
Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik noted that the seven accused were working like an “organised gang”. In one case, a victim who attempted to report harassment to a senior HR official was told, “These things happen,” which discouraged her from pursuing a formal complaint.
The allegations extend beyond sexual assault to religious coercion. The complainants alleged that his colleagues Danish and Tausif tried to convince them of the advantages of Islam over Hinduism, while Khan was accused of making objectionable comments about a Hindu god. Police are investigating a possible “Malaysia link” involving a man named Imran, who appeared in WhatsApp chats discussing moving female employees abroad for high-paying jobs.
Due to possible extremist connections or foreign funding, the National Investigation Agency (NIA), State Intelligence Department (SID) and Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) have been approached to assist the Special Investigation Team (SIT), HT had earlier reported.
What the company said, it did
The company’s response was quick, but there is now scrutiny of its internal mechanisms. TCS has fired seven of the eight arrested employees and stated that it has a zero-tolerance policy towards such behaviour.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran described the allegations as “very disturbing and distressing”, an internal investigation led by TCS COO Arathi Subramanian.
However, while the company maintains it has a functional Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) against sexual assault, police are investigating why none of the victims felt able to use it.
What’s next?
The matter has even reached the Supreme Court, where a petition filed by lawyer Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, who is also a BJP leader, says the case could reveal a threat to national unity.
The National Commission for Women also formed a fact-finding committee that included a retired judge.
