A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Nashik Police has arrested eight people, after multiple women employees at Tata Consultancy Services' (TCS) Nashik office alleged sexual harassment and forced religious conversion by male colleagues.
TCS Nashik row: Victim shares harassment details to the police
One of the victims, a newly married associate who joined TCS Nashik on June 20 last year, reportedly told police that her ordeal began during her three-month training period under Team Leads Shahrukh Qureshi and Jayesh Gunjal. She alleged, according to NDTV, that a Team Lead from a separate department, Raza Memon, would routinely approach her with intrusive personal questions about her marriage and private life.
She told police that Memon gave her the nickname 'Player', using it openly in the workplace. "Raza had nicknamed me 'Player.' Whenever I came to the office, he would address me exclusively as 'Player,'" she stated in her complaint, adding that Qureshi would actively encourage this behaviour.
The victim alleged that on the occasion of Gudi Padwa, Memon physically grabbed the pallu of her saree as she walked through the office lobby. "When I turned around, I saw that my pallu was in Raza's hand. I immediately yanked my pallu back, whereupon he looked at me with a lewd gaze and smiled," she reportedly alleged in her police statement.
Following the completion of her training, the harassment continued from another colleague, Asif Ansari, who she alleged would repeatedly touch her inappropriately despite available seating elsewhere, and place his hands on her thighs. He touched her stomach and waist once, and said, "You have zero figure." She told police he once grabbed her in an embrace in an office gallery, prompting her to shove him away and flee.
"Since I was new to the job, and out of fear of losing it, I didn't tell anyone about this, nor did I file any complaint," she said.
TCS Nashik row: Online harassment after office hours
The alleged harassment extended beyond the workplace. After the victim blocked Ansari on Instagram, he reportedly contacted her on LinkedIn. "How am I supposed to contact you?" she alleged he asked her. She told him all communication was to remain within the office, but the messages continued.
TCS, India's largest private-sector employer, stated it has a zero-tolerance policy toward harassment of any kind, and said the employees allegedly involved have been suspended. The company has since announced an oversight panel and the engagement of external entities to assist with its internal probe.
TCS Nashik row: Accused's family calls it a conspiracy
Memon's family denied the allegations. His uncle told publications that the case was a 'conspiracy' driven by professional jealousy, describing Memon as a 'high performer.' The family also alleged communal discrimination, claiming that individuals above Memon in the hierarchy belonging to other faiths faced no similar action.
