New Allegations Emerge in TCS Nashik Case: Employees Forcibly Coerced into Prayer Practice

Tata Consultancy Services Employees Remanded in Custody Over Alleged Sexual Harassment and Forcible Conversion

A magistrate's court in Nashik has remanded four employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) to fresh police custody till April 29 in connection with an alleged sexual harassment and forcible conversion case. The accused, Tausif Attar (36), Danish Sheikh (32), Shahrukh Qureshi (34), and Raza Rafiq Memon (35), were arrested afresh on April 23 after being in judicial custody.

The case was registered at the Mumbainaka police station based on a complaint by a 35-year-old senior analyst who works at the company's Nashik BPO unit. Prosecutors Kiran Bendbhar and Aniket Avhad sought 10 days' custody, citing the seriousness of the allegations.

According to the complaint, the accused allegedly mocked the complainant's religious beliefs and made derogatory comments about Hindu deities. On one occasion, they allegedly forced him to wear a skull cap and offer Namaz, and a video of the incident was later circulated on an employee WhatsApp group. The accused also allegedly forced the complainant to consume non-vegetarian food as part of an attempt to convert him.

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In addition, the accused allegedly made obscene remarks about Hindu women, the complainant's wife, and the couple's inability to have children. Investigators said the accused used their positions to make the complainant perform his work and submitted fabricated performance reports to the head office. During one altercation, two of the accused allegedly hurled an office table fan at him and issued death threats.

A Special Investigation Team is probing nine cases involving allegations of sexual exploitation or harassment, attempts of forcible conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation, and mental harassment at the Nashik unit. So far, eight employees, including a woman HR manager, have been arrested in connection with the wider probe.

TCS had earlier stated that it follows a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any kind and that the accused employees were suspended promptly. However, a preliminary review of systems and records showed no complaints of sexual harassment or religious coercion had been filed from the Nashik unit through official POSH or ethics channels.

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