NCW flags POSH violations at 'toxic' TCS Nashik workplace

Mumbai: The National Commission for Women (NCW) said its inquiry into allegations of sexual harassment and religious coercion at Tata Consultancy Services' Nashik unit has found instances of "pervasive sexual harassment" and "systemic bullying" as well as "zero compliance of the POSH Act" at the workplace.

The commission, a statutory body under the Ministry of Women and Child Development, on May 8 submitted a report on the inquiry to Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis, describing the workplace environment as "deeply disturbing and toxic".

The report noted multiple instances of sexual harassment, attempted molestation and sustained mental abuse of employees, the NCW said in a news release on Monday.


Its inquiry committee comprising a retired Bombay High Court judge, a former DGP and legal experts prepared the report after visiting Nashik in April and interacting with the victims, internal committee members at TCS and police officials, the NCW said.

According to the report, female employees were subjected to harassment, stalking and demeaning behaviour, creating an atmosphere of fear and coercion. "The TCS office at Nashik was, in effect, controlled by accused Danish, Tausif and Raza Memon. They were protected by Ashwini Chainani. No employee had the courage to raise their voice, and those who did so faced fear of professional repercussions including transfer and terminations," the NCW said.

Danish Sheikh, Tausif Attar, Memon and Ashwini Chainani are currently in jail.

The commission also noted instances of insults against religion. "The accused used to bully female employees by denigrating Hindu mythology, beliefs, traditions and practices and by impressing upon the girls that Islam was a far superior religion to Hinduism," it said.

CCTVs were installed at the facility, but they were non-functional, it said.

The commission said there was complete absence of compliance with the Sexual Harassment of Women at Workplace (Prevention, Prohibition and Redressal) Act, 2013 (POSH Act).

The internal complaints committee was shared across locations in violation of the law. No awareness programmes, disclosures, or complaint mechanisms were in place. Committee members failed to demonstrate empathy or take action, it alleged.

"This was not just a compliance deficit but a governance failure," the report said, alleging that the internal committee had "miserably failed" to ensure workplace safety. TCS has also undertaken an internal probe, led by chief operating officer Aarthi Subramanian.

Sources at TCS told ET that the company is planning to write to the NCW citing factual inaccuracies in their findings. They also claimed that the NCW did not reach out to the company to share the findings and seek explanations.

For instance, NCW's claims that CCTVs at the office were not working is incorrect. Similarly, there were posters in the office with contact details of independent members of the POSH committee. Employees had also received mandatory POSH training, the sources said.