Nashik: The HR head of a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) BPO unit in Nashik, Nida Khan, has approached a court seeking anticipatory bail in connection with an alleged forced religious conversion and workplace harassment case, her lawyer said.
According to her counsel, Khan is currently in Mumbai and has filed for pre-arrest bail, with the application expected to be heard in a Nashik court soon. She had been untraceable since the allegations surfaced.
The case has so far led to the arrest of eight individuals — Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Raza Memon, Shahrukh Qureshi, Shafi Sheikh, Asif Aftab Ansar and Shahrukh Sheikh — along with the operations head of the BPO unit.
Khan faces allegations of negligence in handling complaints raised by female employees. Reports suggest she discouraged a complainant from filing a formal case related to harassment and alleged conversion, reportedly telling her that “these things happen” and appearing to side with the accused.
The controversy has drawn a strong response from Natarajan Chandrasekaran, who termed the allegations “gravely concerning and distressing.” He said an internal probe is being led by TCS COO Arathi Subramanian to establish facts and accountability.
Investigators said the accused, including seven men and two women, allegedly misused positions of authority to harass colleagues, pointing to possible coordinated misconduct within the workplace.
While one female accused is linked to a single case of religious harassment, Khan has been specifically accused of dissuading a complainant from pursuing formal action.
Of the nine reported cases so far, one complaint has also been filed by a male employee alleging attempted religious conversion and workplace harassment.
Earlier, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was constituted after eight female employees accused senior colleagues of mental and sexual harassment, alleging that the HR department failed to adequately address their grievances.
