Kamal Ghorui
NASHIK: Amid growing scrutiny over allegations of sexual harassment and religious coercion at a unit of Tata Consultancy Services in Nashik, a relative of one of the accused has claimed the case is “scripted” and part of a conspiracy hatched by Bajrang Dal.Speaking to reporters, the accused uncle alleged a wider plot behind the case.“All the families are troubled. Everything is happening as per a conspiracy… The Bajrang Dal are involved in this. The girl’s family called Bajrang Dal. One person was let go after the investigation and then he was arrested again by the police. Everything that happened was scripted.”He further said, “All the main issues have been ignored and instead, a minor matter has been unnecessarily highlighted and exaggerated. This appears to be a false case, where allegations are being made without strong evidence. It is not a major scandal as it is being portrayed,” he added further.The remarks come as a Nashik court on Thursday remanded two accused in police custody till April 18 in connection with alleged sexual harassment and forced religious conversion at the TCS unit.The two accused were arrested fresh on Wednesday after earlier being remanded in judicial custody in a related case. They were produced before the court, which granted two-day police custody.Police have booked them under sections 74 (outraging the modesty of a woman), 75 (sexual harassment) and 79 (word, gesture, act or object intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.So far, seven employees — including six men working at the TCS Nashik unit and a woman HR manager — have been arrested across nine cases.Police have formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe complaints filed by eight women employees, who allege mental and sexual harassment by senior colleagues and claim their complaints were ignored by the HR department. Some also alleged attempts at forced religious conversion and insult to religious sentiments.The Tata Consultancy Services has said it follows a “zero-tolerance” policy on harassment and has suspended employees accused in the case.Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran has described the allegations as “gravely concerning and anguishing”, adding that a detailed investigation is underway under COO Arathi Subramanian.The National Commission for Women has also constituted a fact-finding committee to examine the matter.Meanwhile, Nashik police have warned that certain media outlets and social media accounts may be revealing the identity of alleged victims, which is a criminal offence. Police said such disclosures cause “immense anguish” and urged strict compliance with laws protecting victim identity.
