Mumbai, Apr 20 (PTI) From derogatory slurs against religion to a team leader’s inappropriate touch during training sessions, a woman engineer at a Nashik unit of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has revealed in harrowing detail the alleged harassment and religious coercion she faced at the office of the IT major.
In a chilling statement, which is part of one of nine FIRs, the complainant alleged that her harassers justified violence against women as a consequence of not wearing burqas and made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of Nashik police has arrested eight persons, including a female operations manager, by registering nine FIRs after allegations of exploitation, attempt of forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit came to light.
The Nashik police have formed three teams to trace another accused, Nida Khan. These teams have been dispatched to various places, and one of them landed in Mumbra near Thane, officials said.
Meanwhile, Khan has filed an anticipatory bail application before the Nashik sessions court, which will hear the plea on Monday.
The victim, in her statement, alleged a prolonged pattern of sexual harassment, stalking, and intentional insults to religious sentiments at the hands of five accused between June 2025 and March 2026.
She has claimed that one of the accused allegedly made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities and even suggested that “rapes take place because women do not wear burqas”.
The woman employee claimed that her team leader touched her inappropriately on the pretext of formal training, and she was similarly molested by another accused in the pantry of the office during Gudi Padwa celebrations.
She has also alleged that they made objectionable remarks about her marital life.
According to the victim, the harassment wasn’t restricted to the workplace. The accused also stalked and harassed her on social media.
The complainant further detailed how her attempts to block the accused on social media platforms failed to stop the stalking, eventually forcing her to seek legal help.
TCS has clarified that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time, and the employees allegedly involved in sexual harassment at the Nashik office have been suspended.
The company said on Friday that a preliminary review of the records indicated that it had not received any complaints “of the nature that are being alleged on either our ethics or POSH (prevention of sexual harassment) channels”.
The country’s largest IT services firm has also announced an oversight panel and engagement of external entities in its internal probe. PTI AVI ARU
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