TCS Nashik harassment case: Accused concealed prior marriage, put pressure to convert to Islam, claims complainant

NASHIK: A victim in the alleged sexual harassment case at the TCS unit here has told police that one of the accused sexually assaulted her four years ago, concealed his marriage, and insulted her religion at workplace while putting pressure on her to convert to Islam.

Police have formed a Special Investigation Team and arrested eight persons by registering nine FIRs after cases of alleged sexual harassment and pressure to convert at the Nashik unit of Tata Consultancy Services came to light. The software major which has initiated an internal inquiry stated on Friday that it had not received any complaint through its internal channels.

As per a First Information Report based on a complaint filed by a woman victim, she met one of the accused, who had graduated from the same college as her, four years ago, and the two became friends.

The accused promised to help her secure a job at TCS, she told police.

In July 2022, he forced himself upon her when they met in Deolali Camp area and also expressed a desire to marry her, the complaint said.

The woman, in the meantime, joined TCS where the accused also worked. In February 2026, the complainant found out that the accused was a married man with two children when his wife contacted her, she stated in the complaint.

When the complainant confronted him, the accused allegedly admitted that he had no intention of marrying her.

The accused, along with two other colleagues -- also named in the FIR as co-accused -- frequently met her in the company canteen, and the trio often made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities, the complainant said.

They allegedly told her that worshipping 'Shivalinga' was "obscene" and made insulting comments about Mahabharata character Draupadi.

They also put pressure on her to convert to Islam, claiming it was a superior religion, the complainant told police.

She also allegedly faced sexual harrassment and blackmail by some of the co-accused, according to the FIR.

Police have invoked Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections related to rape, outraging the modesty of a woman and promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion in this FIR.

Besides this case, there are eight other FIRs related to alleged sexual harassment and forcible religious conversion at the TCS unit.

TCS on Friday said 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 company also announced an oversight panel and engagement of external entities in its internal probe.

It has a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of coercion or misconduct, it added.