What started as a complaint about alleged religious conversion has now turned into a major crisis for the Nashik office of Tata Consultancy Services. As the investigation continues, a senior officer has now stated that the seven men accused in the case often acted like an “organized gang” to target female employees.
Police launched an undercover operation at BPO after a female employee filed a complaint at Devlali police station in March, accusing one of her superiors of rape.
Following this complaint, police reported that eight other employees came forward and filed complaints of sexual harassment.
As the investigation into the case continues, the police have now registered a total of nine FIRs related to rape, sexual harassment and hurting religious sentiments.
TCS Nashik Crisis | All we know
A discreet and confidential reporting process
After receiving a report in February about the allegations, police launched an undercover operation in the case, with six female police officers undercover.
Over the next 40 days, six female officers went undercover in civilian clothes and reported cases of sexual harassment to their superiors.
These comments from undercover police officers confirmed information received in February, prompting police action. Focusing on six defendants, an employee filed a formal complaint on March 26 accusing one of the defendants of rape.
First FIR and arrest of the accused
The first FIR, lodged in March, said the accused “sexually exploited the complainant on the pretext of marriage.”
In her complaint, the woman alleged that the accused, despite being married, forced her into a relationship on the false promise of marriage and repeatedly raped her at locations on Trimbac Road.
She added that his colleagues harassed her by making remarks about their relationship in the workplace.
Amid the investigation, a total of nine FIRs were lodged, with eight lodged after the March complaint.
Eight employees were arrested in connection with this case. The employment of these eight defendants at BPO has also been terminated.
Speaking to PTI, police officials said that while seven men and a woman have been arrested, one accused is absconding.
Police added that the seven men are accused of sexual harassment and rape. The officials added that the group was operating as an “organized gang” in the office.
Explaining the role of the two accused, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik told PTI that operations and the unit head of human resources had discouraged the victim from filing a complaint, saying “these things happen” and sided with the accused.
The other accused was named in the case related to “religious harassment.”
“Nine FIRs have been registered in Nashik relating to allegations of attempted religious conversion, sexual harassment and religious harassment at the workplace. The nine accused in total, including seven men and two women, have been registered in positions of authority such as team leaders and are alleged to have misused their roles to harass co-workers,” Karnik told reporters.
Malaysia link
While the case made headlines in Indian newspapers, a link to Malaysia was also reported.
Based on reports, a man named Imran, allegedly linked to Malaysia, appeared in WhatsApp chats between the accused.
Investigators suspect he may have been a preacher who was introduced to staff via video calls, where he talked about women moving abroad for “high-paying jobs and a better lifestyle.”
But no official statement was issued regarding this international connection.
The SIT probe was launched
The Nashik Police has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to further investigate the case.
“We are also investigating whether the company followed existing mechanisms to address complaints of sexual and other types of harassment, if they were raised internally,” Nashik City Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik told HT.
The nine FIRs were lodged under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Act. The sections invoked include Sections 69 (rape), 75 (sexual harassment) and 299 (intentional acts to insult religious sentiments) of Devlali police station. At Mumbai Naka Police Station, the applicable sections are: Section 78 (stalking), 79 (outraging modesty through indecent gestures), and 299 (outraging religious sentiments).
The SIT will also investigate complaints filed by eight female employees who alleged that senior colleagues had harassed them mentally and sexually, and inaction by the human resources department.
NCW takes note of the case
As the issue makes national headlines, the National Commission for Women on Wednesday formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the alleged incidents of sexual harassment.
The committee said in a statement that the committee will visit the facility on April 18 to conduct a field investigation and study the circumstances that led to the accident.
“The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognizance of serious media reports regarding alleged incidents of sexual harassment of women at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) BPO unit in Nashik, Maharashtra,” the statement read.
She added: “Given the seriousness of the matter, the Commission, in exercise of its powers under Section 8 of the National Commission for Women Act of 1990, has formed a fact-finding committee to conduct a detailed investigation into the incident. The committee will visit the scene of the incident on April 18.”
What TCS said
Following initial reports on the case, a TCS spokesperson condemned the incident and stated that the company has a “zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion.”
“We have always ensured the highest standards of safety and welfare for our employees at the workplace. As soon as we learned of the matter in Nashik, we took swift action. The employees being investigated have been suspended, pending investigation. We are cooperating with local law enforcement authorities, and any further action will depend on the outcome of this investigation,” the spokesperson added.
Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran also spoke on the issue and called the sexual harassment “disturbing and distressing”. Chandrasekaran also announced that a comprehensive investigation is underway under TCS’s Chief Operating Officer, Arathi Subramanian, to establish the facts and identify the individuals responsible for the situation.
A petition was filed before the Supreme Court
The case has now reached the Supreme Court, with a petition filed on Thursday. The application calls on the Supreme Court of India to take suo motu cognizance of the issue of “systematic” religious harassment at BPO.
According to a PTI report, the petition was filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay. The defender stressed that deceptive religious conversion not only poses a serious threat to sovereignty, secularism, democracy and freedom, but also represents a threat to brotherhood, dignity, unity and national integration.
The appeal also calls on the Center and the state government to take strict steps to control religious conversion.
“All persons will have the right to profess, practice and propagate religion freely, not all persons will have the right to profess, practice and propagate religion freely. This means that the right to profess, practice and propagate religion is free for all, but it cannot be exercised absolutely or freely,” the appeal said.
The appeal added, “The expression does not mean that every person is free to do whatever he wants in the name of religion, but rather it means that every person has the right to freedom of belief, practice, and publication, but this freedom itself is subject to reasonable restrictions.”
