After multiple women employees at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) unit in Nashik alleged sexual harassment and alleged forced religious conversion by their team leaders, an SIT probe has identified female HR official as its mastermind, according to reports.
Identified as Nida Khan, the HR official failed to intervene after one of the female employees emailed her regarding the harassment. Along with Nida Khan, seven others have been arrested in the case. According to a report by Free Press Journal, Nida Khan is the mastermind in the case.
Who is Nida Khan?
Nida Khan was an HR official working from Pune office of TCS. Her roles included addressing employee grievances and compliance with POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) regulations.
According to her LinkedIn profiled, Nida Khan is an alumnus of the Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU). She was charged with abetting sexual harassment by failing to act on a complaint and did not escalate the matter to seniors.
Police have registered eight FIRs from March 26 to April 3 at Devlali and Mumbai Naka police stations. The charges at Devlali include BNS Section 69 (rape), 75 (sexual harassment), 299 (deliberate acts to outrage religious feelings). The sections charged at Mumbai Naka include 78 (stalking), 79 (outraging modesty through inappropriate gestures) and 299 (outraging religious feelings).
Maharashtra minister Girish Mahajan claimed that the senior manager at the Nashik office forced the victims to offer namaz, eat beef and even tried to convert them, according to The Times of India.
TCS stated that the company has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time. "We have always ensured the highest standards of safety and well-being of our employees at the workplace. As soon as we were made aware of the matter in Nashik, we took swift action," it stated.
