TCS Shuts Down Nashik BPO After Sexual Harassment, Forced Conversion Allegation

Nashik: Leading IT company Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has temporarily suspended operations at its Nashik BPO unit after sexual abuse, harassment and forced conversion allegations. The company has instructed employees not to report to campus and new recruitment at the Nashik unit has also been halted. 

What is the reason of the temporary shut down?

After a major controversy regarding allegations of sexual harassment, abuse and forced religious conversion, the Nashik BPO unit of the TCS have temporarily shut its operations.

According to reports, the recruitment process has been halted until the police investigation is complete. This decision was taken following serious allegations at TCS's Nashik-based BPO unit. The allegations include sexual harassment, forced religious conversions, and mistreatment of female employees.

The company has also directed employees to work from home until the investigation is going on.

TCS's Nashik unit employs thousands of people. The suspension of operations has impacted the workplace. The company has indicated it is considering allowing employees to work from home or relocate to other units, although official confirmation is still pending.

What has police done so far?

Following a 40-day undercover police investigation, nine FIRs have been filed, leading to the arrests of several individuals, including six team leaders and an HR department official. Nida Khan, the Nashik unit's human resources (HR) manager, has been named as the main accused in the case.

The employees have accused of sexual exploitation under the pretext of marriage, sexual harassment, and outraging the modesty of women. 

The police conducted an undercover operation for 40 days, in which seven female police officers worked as employees.

What did the company say?

A company spokesperson said, "TCS has a long-standing zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment. As soon as we became aware of this matter, we took prompt action. The employees under investigation have been suspended till the completion of the inquiry. We are fully cooperating with the local police and will take further action based on the findings of the investigation."

What are the allegations?

According to reports, the victim women (mostly girls aged 18-25 years) have alleged that the team leaders (Asif Ansari, Tausif Attar, Danish Shaikh, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Shaikh etc.) lured them with the promise of better salary, promotion or job.

Subsequently, there have been allegations of pressure to have sex, blackmail, and in some cases, even rape. They have also been accused of being forced to pray, fast, eat meat, and even convert to Islam.

Two suspended employees, Tousif Attar and Nida Khan is believed to be the mastermind of this entire case. It is alleged that female employees were subjected to sexual harassment, mental torture, and forced religious conversions since 2022. Numerous complaints were made to the HR department, but they were allegedly ignored. An HR officer is accused of ignoring complaint emails. The Special Investigation Team (SIT) is now conducting a thorough investigation into the matter, including examining bank accounts, CCTV footage, and over 70 internal emails.