NASHIK: The Fact Finding Committee has begun its inquiry into the alleged sexual harassment and religious conversion case linked to the TCS office in Nashik, advocate Monika Arora said on Saturday.Speaking to ANI, Arora said, “We have come for an inquiry into the TCS episode. We are going to talk to all the stakeholders.”
She added that the panel would first interact with all parties before sharing any preliminary findings.“It is not possible for us to say anything right now because we will meet all the stakeholders and talk to them. Whatever truth emerges, based on that, we will make recommendations and submit a report,” she said.Arora said the committee comprises four members.“The committee has a retired judge, a retired IPS officer, an advocate, and a coordinator from NCW. There are four people,” she added.The panel’s visit comes amid protests by Bajrang Dal members outside the district collector’s office, demanding action over the allegations.‘No harassment or conversion complaints’Earlier, K Krithivasan, CEO and MD, TCS, said the company has engaged expert teams from Deloitte and law firm Trilegal as independent counsel for the internal investigation led by Aarthi Subramanian, President and COO, TCS.He added that a committee chaired by independent director Keki Mistry has also been constituted.TCS said its Nashik unit continues to operate and serve clients.The company said that while detailed reviews are underway, a preliminary review of systems and records at the Nashik unit indicates that no complaints of the nature alleged were received through its ethics or POSH channels.‘Very serious matter’Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis on Friday termed the incident at the TCS facility in Nashik a “very serious matter,” saying the government is probing whether it constitutes “corporate jihad.”Speaking to ANI, Fadnavis said the state is conducting a deep-dive investigation into the controversy.“The incident in Nashik TCS is a very serious matter. I thank TCS for taking cognisance. The TCS chief has condemned it and is cooperating with the police. We are trying to get to the root of the incident. If it emerges as corporate jihad, we will find its root,” he said.NHRC seeks details from TCSHuman Rights Commission member Priyank Kanungo said the commission has taken cognisance of the matter and sought details from TCS regarding its BPOs, offices, subsidiaries, POSH committees, and records of complaints received over the past three years.Cops quiz husband; search on for accused employeeA team from the Nashik crime branch on Friday reached Mumbra in Thane district in search of a 26-year-old TCS employee accused of subjecting a co-worker to religious harassment at the workplace.Originally from Nashik, the woman was recently transferred to Mumbai after her husband secured a job with a private firm in Mumbra.Police tracked down and detained her husband from his office. At the time of filing this report, he was being questioned to ascertain her whereabouts and gather further details.A police officer told TOI, “Her husband told investigators that a relative took her back to Nashik a couple of days ago.”Her lawyer, Baba Sayyad, told TOI that the accused is preparing to file an anticipatory bail plea before a Nashik sessions court, citing pregnancy as one of the grounds.Police said the woman has been named as a co-accused in the first of nine cases of sexual offences and religious harassment registered by Nashik police against TCS employees.The SIT probing the cases has formed three teams to trace her. Officials said she had been residing in Mumbra for the past two months.(With agency inputs)
