In a disturbing escalation of the ongoing controversy at Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Nashik, a male employee has come forward with harrowing allegations of religious coercion and extreme personal harassment.
According to reports from India Today, a TCS employee detailed an ordeal where he was allegedly pressured by superiors and colleagues to renounce his faith and perform Islamic rituals.
The testimony follows a series of FIRs filed by female employees at the same branch, who have accused the same individuals of sexual assault and attempted forced conversion.
The male victim’s account paints a grim picture of a workplace culture allegedly weaponized by a small group to target the religious beliefs and personal lives of their subordinates.
Forced Rituals and Religious Coercion
The victim, a devout Hindu and follower of Ramdas Swami, stated that his religious identity made him a primary target for his team leader, Tausif Akhtar, and colleague Danish Sheikh.
As per reports, he alleged that the harassment began in 2022, shortly after he joined the firm. According to his testimony, the group systematically mocked Hindu deities, questioned the existence of his gods, and made derogatory remarks about revered figures from Maharashtra.
To ensure he remained vulnerable, the victim claimed he was burdened with excessive workloads and the tasks of others to keep him in a state of constant exhaustion.
The coercion allegedly extended into physical acts and dietary violations. The employee claimed he was forced to remove his rudraksha mala and, on Eid in 2023, was taken to a superior’s home where he was made to wear a skullcap and offer namaz.
Photographs of the incident were reportedly shared in the company’s official group to humiliate him. Furthermore, the victim, a strict vegetarian alleged he was taken to hotels after night shifts and pressured to consume non-vegetarian food.
In a particularly sensitive moment, he claimed that when his father suffered a paralytic attack, the accused told him his father would only recover if he converted to Islam.
Cruel Mockery of Personal Life
Beyond religious targeting, the employee alleged that the harassment turned deeply personal and offensive. He and his wife had been seeking medical treatment to conceive a child, a fact the accused allegedly used to taunt him.
The victim claimed that the harassment crossed all limits when one of the accused suggested he “send his wife” to them if he wanted a child. When the victim finally protested these remarks, the situation turned violent.
He alleged that Tausif Akhtar threw a table fan at him and issued death threats, further claiming the group made inappropriate remarks about female employees as well.
Systemic Misconduct and Legal Action
The allegations by this employee mirror the complaints of several women at the Nashik branch. The primary accused, Danish Sheikh and Tausif Akhtar, were first named in an FIR by a 23-year-old colleague who alleged Danish attempted to forcibly kiss her.
She also implicated HR executive Nida Khan for making derogatory remarks about Hindu deities and attempting to influence her religious beliefs. The victim maintains that the systematic harassment continued unabated from 2022 until March 23, 2026, and that the group attempted to get him dismissed by filing false complaints with the head office once he stopped complying with their demands.
The law enforcement response has been significant, with the police registering nine cases based on complaints from various women employees. To gather evidence, undercover women police officers were deployed to investigate the branch, leading to the arrest of seven men and two women.
The victim believes these tactics were part of a calculated effort to build a friendly relationship before revealing an intent to mentally break him so he would eventually agree to convert his religion.
What Has Happened So Far?
The TCS Nashik incident involves a series of grave allegations spanning from 2022 to early 2026, where at least nine employees, including eight women and one man accused senior colleagues and HR officials of a coordinated campaign of sexual exploitation, religious coercion, and mental harassment.
Following a covert operation by Nashik Police, it was revealed that victims were allegedly pressured to perform Islamic rituals, mocked for their Hindu faith, and subjected to personal abuse, such as offensive remarks about infertility.
In response, a Special Investigation Team (SIT) has arrested nine individuals, including team leaders and a senior HR manager, while TCS has suspended the accused and moved operations to a work-from-home model amid a high-level internal probe led by the company’s COO.
