Maharashtra Chief Minister and BJP leader Devendra Fadnavis on Friday termed the recent incident at the Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) facility in Nashik as a “very serious matter”, and said the government is investigating whether the incident falls under the ambit of “corporate jihad”.
Speaking to ANI, Fadnavis confirmed that the state authorities are launching a thorough investigation to find out the origin of the controversy that has engulfed the tech hub.
Fadnavis stressed that the investigating agencies of the state are going beyond the surface facts of the incident and investigating in depth. While he did not elaborate on the specific details of the allegation of “corporate jihad”, he made it clear that the government is prepared to take decisive action if evidence of a planned conspiracy emerges.
He said, “The incident that happened at TCS in Nashik is a very serious matter. I would like to express my gratitude to TCS for taking cognizance of this matter. The TCS chief has condemned it and they are cooperating with the police. We are trying to get to the bottom of the incident. We are investigating the matter. If it is proven to be corporate jihad, we will get to the root of it.”
Meanwhile, advocate Baba Syed, representing Nida Khan in the Nashik TCS case, said there were no allegations of conversion or harassment against his client.
The lawyer told ANI that an FIR has been lodged against Nida Khan for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
He also clarified that Nida Khan was not an HR manager at TCS but worked as a process associate.
Advocate Baba Syed said, “The first complaint included sections related to rape and hurting religious sentiments. Danish Shaikh has been made the main accused, while Nida Khan and Attar are co-accused. The police investigation also revealed other illegal activities and eight FIRs were registered.”
He further said, “There is no mention of forced religious conversion in the FIR, only a complaint of hurting religious sentiments. The two accused are in police custody. Their custody will end tomorrow (Saturday).”
In the wake of allegations of religious conversion and harassment, TCS has asked its Nashik branch employees to work from home as a precautionary measure for their convenience and safety.
Sources confirmed that the decision was taken keeping in mind the safety of the employees.
During the investigation, police officials recovered around 78 suspicious call records, emails and chats between the accused. Police also found evidence of possible financial transactions.
A total of nine cases have been registered, of which one case has been registered at Deolali Camp police station and eight others at Mumbai Naka.