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HR at the Nashik TCS unit allegedly discouraged a victim from filing a complaint, telling her “these things happen”, amid allegations of sexual harassment and religious conversion.
Team leaders from TCS Nashik office arrested (Video screengrab/IANS)
The investigation into allegations of sexual harassment and attempted religious conversion at a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) BPO unit in Nashik has brought the role of the human resources department under scrutiny, with police stating that the HR head allegedly discouraged a victim from filing a complaint, remarking that “these things happen”.
Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik told news agency PTI that the operations and HR head of the unit sided with the accused and did not support the complainant when the issue was raised internally.
Explaining the role of the two female accused in the case, Karnik said one of them, who headed operations and HR, allegedly discouraged the victim from submitting a complaint.
Police have registered nine FIRs in connection with the allegations, which include claims of sexual harassment, religious harassment and attempted religious conversion at the workplace.
Eight persons, seven men and one woman, have been arrested so far, while another female accused remains at large.
The seven male accused, Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Sheikh, Asif Aftab Ansar, and Shahrukh Sheikh, are co-accused in most of the FIRs.
COUNSELLING LED TO MORE COMPLAINTS
Police said more complainants came forward after initial counselling by officers, leading to multiple FIRs being registered in the case.
“Initially, the first complainant was hesitant, but after receiving support and counselling from the police, more victims came forward, leading to multiple FIRs being registered,” Karnik said.
He added that a woman deputy commissioner of police, along with female personnel, visited the office premises to interact with employees and encourage complainants to share their accounts.
Among the nine cases registered is also a complaint lodged by a male employee alleging religious harassment and an attempt at religious conversion at the workplace.
The police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the complaints lodged by eight female employees who alleged mental and sexual harassment by senior colleagues.
COURT REMANDS FEMALE OPERATIONS MANAGER
In a related development, a Nashik court on Wednesday remanded the female operations manager in judicial custody till April 28.
Police said one female accused has been named in a single case of religious harassment, while another is accused of discouraging a victim from pursuing a complaint.
Responding to reports speculating about possible links to extremist organisations or foreign funding, Karnik said the police have written to the SID, ATS and NIA as part of the ongoing probe.
“As and when we get some evidence, we will be able to come to a conclusion about the same,” he said.
NCW SETS UP FACT-FINDING COMMITTEE
Meanwhile, the National Commission for Women (NCW) has constituted a fact-finding committee to conduct an on-the-spot inquiry into the allegations at the TCS BPO facility in Nashik.
“The National Commission for Women (NCW) has taken suo motu cognisance of serious media reports concerning alleged incidents of sexual harassment of women at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) BPO unit in Nashik, Maharashtra,” the Commission said in a statement.
“Taking a serious view of the matter, the Commission, in exercise of its powers under Section 8 of the National Commission for Women Act, 1990, has constituted a fact-finding committee to conduct a detailed inquiry into the incident. The committee will visit the place of the incident on April 17,” it added.
The committee comprises retired Bombay High Court Justice Sadhna Jadhav, former Haryana DGP BK Sinha, Supreme Court advocate Monika Arora and NCW Senior Coordinator Lilabati.
The panel has been tasked with interacting with victims, police officials and company representatives, identifying lapses, if any, and recommending measures to strengthen workplace safety mechanisms for women.
The committee has been asked to submit its report within 10 working days.
April 16, 2026, 12:27 IST
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