Nashik (Maharashtra) [India], April 13 : The case related to the alleged harassment of women employees at TCS' Nashik office has caused deep concern with Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran steeping in and ordering an internal investigation into the issue.
Chandrasekaran said the complaints and allegations emerging from the Nashik branch of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) were "gravely concerning and anguishing."
In a statement, Chandrasekaran said the matter is being treated with the "utmost seriousness", and action has already been initiated against the accused employees. He added that the company is extending full cooperation to the ongoing investigations.
"The Tata Group maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of coercion or misconduct by its employees," the statement said, adding that a thorough probe is underway to establish facts and identify all individuals responsible.
He further said TCS Chief Operating Officer Aarthi Subramanian will lead the internal investigation into the matter.
"Appropriate and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty. Any necessary process improvements or corrective measures will be promptly implemented and strictly enforced," the statement added.
Meanwhile, the alleged accused Operations Head was produced before the court on Monday.
The prosecution, represented by Assistant Director of Public Prosecution sought further police custody, arguing the need for additional time to complete the investigation. The court, after hearing the submissions, granted two more days of police custody after the earlier three-day remand, extending custody till April 15.
According to the allegations, the accused was serving as a Department Head (Operations) and was also a member of the Internal Complaints Committee (ICC) of the company. Despite this, it is alleged that she failed to act on repeated complaints filed by the victims and instead supported the accused parties.
Assistant Public Prosecutor Kiran Bendbhar said the case involves serious allegations of sexual and mental harassment of a female employee. Despite being a member of the POSH committee, the accused allegedly failed to act on the victim's complaint and instead supported the accused parties.
"The Operations Head of the TCS company was produced in court. During the previous hearing, she had been remanded to police custody for three days. Due to progress in the ongoing investigation, she has today been granted a further two-day remand in police custody. This is a grave matter involving allegations of sexual harassment and mental harassment of a female victim, as well as inappropriate conduct allegedly committed by the accused within the workplace... Despite being a member of the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Committee, the Operations Head failed to take cognisance of the victim's complaint and instead extended support to the accused,'; she said.
Given the seriousness of the matter, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been constituted to probe the case. Police investigation is currently underway, with the government extending full cooperation, officials said.
The entire matter began with a complaint by a woman employee, who alleged that a colleague established a relationship with her on the pretext of marriage. As the investigation progressed, seven other women also came forward with similar experiences, making the case more serious.
The complaints include allegations of sexual harassment, inappropriate touching, objectionable remarks, stalking, and mental pressure at the workplace. Some victims have also claimed that they were pressured to adopt certain religious practices or convert. Those arrested include Asif Ansari, Shafi Shaikh, Shahrukh Qureshi, Raza Memon and Tausif Attar. Another employee, has also been arrested.
During the investigation, the police have examined more than 40 CCTV footages and are recording statements of the victims and the accused. An undercover operation was also conducted with the help of women police personnel to apprehend one of the accused.
According to preliminary information, these incidents are said to have taken place between 2022 and 2026. The investigation is currently ongoing, and officials say that all aspects are being thoroughly examined, after which final conclusions will be drawn.