New Delhi: Wading into the controversy over the sexual harassment and religious coercion case at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Nashik, the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)—an affiliate of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)—has written a letter to top trade and industry bodies to ensure the safety of women working in the corporate world.
The organisation’s general secretary Bajrang Bagda wrote to organisations, including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of India (ASSOCHAM), International Cricket Council (ICC), Board for Control of Cricket in India (BCCI), PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry of India (PHDCCI) and National Association of Software and Service Companies (NASSCOM), citing the recent alleged incident in Nashik, and asked them to take immediate appropriate action on women’s safety issues.
The Special Investigation Team (SIT) constituted in the matter is probing nine cases registered in connection with the alleged exploitation, attempt at forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation, and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit.
Bagda said India’s top trade and industry bodies should pay attention to extremely sensitive issues like women’s safety at workplaces, and take appropriate steps. “This case has shaken people’s social trust in the corporate world regarding women’s safety at workplaces and maintaining the nation’s social harmony,” he added.
The VHP had earlier carried out protests across the country denouncing alleged cases of sexual harassment and forced conversion at the TCS office in Maharashtra. Bagda termed the allegations not as “isolated cases of crimes committed by individual extremists, but rather cases of collective conspiracies meticulously planned, funded, and professionally orchestrated”.
He added, “The initial evidence emerging from the TCS Nashik case points to suspicions of collusion between these accused employees and extremists and terrorists, as well as involvement of foreign funding. Investigations into other cases are yet to be properly conducted.”
In his letter, Bagda also asked industry organisations to “advise their member firms/companies to exercise extreme caution during the recruitment and appointment of candidates affiliated with a particular religious community”.
VHP national spokesperson Vinod Bansal said, “He has written a letter asking the organisations and corporate world to create a safe work environment for women. He has also warned that if shortcomings are found in the corporate world’s policies and their implementation without corrective steps, the VHP will be compelled to adopt all available constitutional measures. The VHP will keep a close watch on such cases with complete impartiality to see whether steps have been taken or not.”
In addition, Bagda said the World Hindu Council wants all companies in the corporate world to seriously review recruitments, especially in the personnel department, keeping in mind the “reprehensible incident at TCS”, and take immediate corrective steps.
On the alleged conspiracy of religious conversion, he said, “Some male employees affiliated with a particular religious community, acting in the role of ‘hunters,’ targeted not only female employees from another community but also male employees.”
Bagda further said: “The investigation reveals that TCS personnel officers provided shelter to the gangs involved in these crimes. They ensured that the recruitment and appointment of male ‘hunters’ took place at locations where they could influence and exploit female employees. This exploitation was not limited to harassment alone; it also included forcibly feeding beef, rape, blackmail, and ultimately forcing religious conversion.”
The VHP also slammed TCS for allegedly ignoring the complaints of the affected female employees.
“Their complaints were rarely handled with seriousness and in an appropriate manner. The TCS senior management completely failed in fulfilling its responsibilities to provide a safe workplace. Through its gross negligence and mismanagement, the management became a silent partner in these crimes. Legal provisions related to the prevention of sexual harassment of female employees at workplaces were violated on a large scale,” he alleged.
Bagda added that while the VHP does not believe that all members of any particular community are involved in such heinous crimes, the kind of pattern and prevalence that has emerged certainly demand extra caution and vigilance.
Bansal said, “The general secretary of VHP said that continuous monitoring is absolutely essential from recruitment to appointment to prevent the exploitation of female employees. If the corporate world continues with any lax or negligent attitude in the race to merely pursue its economic gains, it will not only be against the interests of society and the nation, but also against their own long-term interests. This will certainly shake society’s trust and faith in them.”
(Edited by Nardeep Singh Dahiya)