A woman at the centre of the widening Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Nashik sexual harassment and conversion case has told investigators that she was instructed to stop listening to “Bhagwan songs”, avoid visiting temples, and watch videos of controversial Pakistani and Indian Islamic preachers as part of an alleged campaign to influence her faith .
The allegations are detailed in a chargesheet filed by the Maharashtra government’s Special Investigation Team (SIT) after multiple women employees at the IT major’s BPO unit accused co-workers of sexual exploitation, religious coercion, molestation and mental harassment .
The Manipulation Campaign
The 23-year-old complainant alleged that the main accused, Danish Shaikh, who is married with children, sexually exploited her on the pretext of marriage while simultaneously encouraging her to move away from her Hindu religious practices .
In her statement to the police, she recounted that Shaikh told her: “Don’t be afraid, trust me, Allah is with us. Stop listening to Bhagwan songs and going to the temple; your stress will decrease” . She alleged that he asked her to recite Tasbeeh and seek forgiveness through Islamic prayers, claiming it would ease her anxiety .
Shaikh allegedly told her, “The more you take Allah’s name, your sins will be forgiven and your good deeds will increase, whether you read Astaghfar, meaning you will ask for forgiveness from Allah and your mental stress will decrease” .
Watching Preacher Videos
The victim told police that Shaikh asked her to watch videos of Pakistani Islamic cleric and Tablighi Jamaat member Tariq Jamil, and listen to his speeches .
She further alleged that co-accused Tausif Attar and Nida Khan were tasked with providing her information about Islam. According to her statement, Attar instructed her to search for videos of controversial preacher Zakir Naik and Pakistani Islamic scholar Dr Israr Ahmed on YouTube and listen to them .
“I was convinced that if I accepted the Islamic religion, my mental stress would decrease. I slowly started believing in those things,” the woman said in her statement, which forms part of the chargesheet .
Islamic Theology Introduced
The chargesheet revealed that the victim was systematically introduced to various aspects of Islamic theology, including stories of Prophet Ibrahim, Bakri Eid, Zamzam water, Qurbani, and the concepts of Jannah (heaven) and Jahannum (hell) .
The accused allegedly told her that the “Shivling” was a male sexual organ and that praying to it was obscene. She also claimed that they called Lord Krishna a “womaniser” and made derogatory remarks about Draupadi having five husbands, deeply hurting her religious sentiments .
Financial Exploitation
Beyond religious manipulation, the woman alleged that Shaikh had taken complete information about her bank accounts and UPI PIN, and was aware of the money in her bank . This aspect of the case is being investigated as financial exploitation alongside the other charges .
Chargesheet Details and Accused
The chargesheet, submitted in a Nashik court last week, contains statements from 106 witnesses, including the complainant, her mother, TCS employees and management, members of the company’s Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) committee, and investigating officers .
Apart from the three arrested accused – Danish Shaikh, Tausif Attar and Nida Khan – the chargesheet also names AIMIM corporator Mateen Patel from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar as an accused for allegedly sheltering Nida Khan while she was absconding, despite knowing that her anticipatory bail plea had been rejected .
The Maharashtra government had formed an SIT after several women employees at the Nashik unit made allegations of exploitation, attempts at forcible conversion, and harassment. While one case was registered at the Deolali Camp police station, eight FIRs have been registered at the Mumbai Naka police station in Nashik .
TCS Response
TCS has suspended employees accused in the case. In a statement, company CEO K Krithivasan said, “TCS holds itself to the highest standards of employee welfare and institutional conduct. We remain fully committed to the safety, dignity, and wellbeing of every employee… we have a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of coercion or misconduct” .
The case is currently under judicial consideration, with a Nashik court recently deferring the hearing on the bail applications of the accused to June 12 .
