Nashik (Maharashtra), April 17
A local court on Thursday remanded two men accused in a case involving alleged sexual harassment and forced religious conversion at a unit of Tata Consultancy Services in Nashik to police custody till April 18. The accused, Raza Rafiq Memon, 35, and Shafi Bikhan Sheikh, 36, were produced in court on Thursday after being re-arrested a day earlier in connection with the case. The court granted police custody for two days. They have been charged under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including sections related to sexual harassment, outraging the modesty of a woman, and acts intended to insult a woman’s dignity.
So far, seven employees — including six men working at the Nashik unit and a woman HR manager — have been arrested across nine cases linked to the allegations. Police said a special investigation team was set up earlier this week after complaints were filed by eight women employees. The complainants alleged they were subjected to mental and sexual harassment by senior colleagues and that their concerns were not addressed by the human resources department.
Some of the women also accused the individuals of attempting to forcibly convert them and of hurting their religious sentiments.
In a statement, TCS said it has a longstanding zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion. It confirmed that employees allegedly involved in the case have been suspended.
Separately, Natarajan Chandrasekaran described the allegations as “gravely concerning and anguishing”, adding that a detailed internal investigation was under way, led by the company’s chief operating officer.
The National Commission for Women has also formed a fact-finding committee to examine the claims.
Meanwhile, city police warned media organisations and social media users against revealing the identities of the women involved. Authorities said doing so is a criminal offence and can cause significant distress to victims and their families.
