Council deputy chairperson seeks strict action against IT firm executives accused of harassment

    Mumbai, Apr 14 (PTI) Maharashtra legislative council deputy chairperson Neelam Gorhe has demanded stringent action against employees of a top IT company facing allegations of sexual harassment and religious conversion at the firm's branch in Nashik.
    Eight female employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) have levelled allegations of sexual harassment and forced religious conversion against their senior colleagues at the company's Nashik campus in North Maharashtra.
    Gorhe, in a statement here on Monday, said she has directed the Nashik police commissioner to take strict action in the case.

    Last week, the police formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe complaints lodged by the employees, who claimed the human resources department turned a deaf ear to their grievances.
    The police have since arrested seven executives of the IT major, including the company’s woman HR manager who is accused of neglecting the complaints raised by victims.
    Gorhe said the incident has led to tensions in society and raised questions about the safety of women in the workplace.
    She noted that the religious conversion of women and their sexual harassment at the workplace were a matter of grave concern, and there should be an impartial, transparent and thorough investigation in this case.
    The SIT should check CCTV footage of the company premises, phone chats and financial transactions as part of its probe, Gorhe said and sought trial of the accused in a fast-track court.
    Tata Sons Chairman N Chandrasekaran on Monday termed sexual harassment allegations at TCS Nashik as "gravely concerning and anguishing", and announced an internal investigation into the matter under a senior executive.
    He said the salts-to-software group maintains a "zero-tolerance policy" towards any form of coercion or misconduct by its employees.
Appropriate and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty in the investigation, he said, adding that process improvements or other corrective measures will be promptly implemented and strictly enforced.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)