Hyderabad: Telangana Director General of Police B Shivadhar Reddy on Monday, April 13, said workplaces must be spaces for building careers and not sites of coercion, reacting to the sexual harassment and alleged forced religious conversion case at a Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) office in Maharashtra’s Nashik.
“Hyderabad‘s strength lies in its diversity. Lakhs of professionals from across the country, from various regions, religions, castes and creeds, contribute to its growth,” Reddy said.
The DGP said the Telangana Police actively engages with organisations, HR teams and communities through initiatives such as the Society for Cyberabad Security Council (SCSC) to strengthen workplace safety and accountability. He added that the state police believes in coexistence rooted in harmony, dignity and mutual respect, and would continue to work closely with citizens, communities and industry to uphold constitutional values.
Reddy also said that concerns raised by Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar had been noted.
Reddy’s remarks came after Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Bandi Sanjay Kumar wrote to him urging a meeting with IT companies in Hyderabad to address what he termed “corporate jihad.”
Kumar said Telangana “cannot remain silent” after the Nashik case and wait for a similar incident to occur. Noting that Hyderabad is home to lakhs of IT employees, he said workplaces must be safe spaces for careers and not sites of coercion, harassment, religious targeting or exploitation. In a post on X, he claimed that employees were already sharing incidents from offices on social media and urged authorities not to ignore the warning signs.
The controversy erupted on March 25 when a young business processing outsourcing (BPO_ employee at TCS’s Nashik office approached the Deolali Camp Police Station, accusing senior colleagues, including a woman, of sexual harassment, mental torture and targeting her religious sentiments over a period spanning 2022 to 2026.
By April 3, nine complaints had been filed – eight by women and one by a man – raising similar allegations.
Police have since arrested seven people, including the company’s female HR manager, identified as Asif Ansari, Shafi Sheikh, Shah Rukh Qureshi, Raza Memon, Tausif Attar, Danish Sheikh, and the HR manager. On Monday, a local court extended the HR manager’s police custody till April 15.
TCS suspended several employees following the allegations. On Sunday, the company said it had a “zero tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form” and that it had taken “swift action” upon being made aware of the matter.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran on Monday described the allegations as “gravely concerning and anguishing” and announced a thorough investigation under TCS Chief Operating Officer (COO) Arathi Subramanian. “Action has already been initiated against the accused employees, and the company is extending its full cooperation to the ongoing investigations,” he said.
Maharashtra Minister Girish Mahajan said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) was probing the allegations and that stringent punishment would be handed to those found responsible.
The Nascent Information Technology Employees Senate (NITES) has written to Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya demanding a detailed audit of Prevention of Sexual Harassment (POSH) compliance across all TCS establishments, including the constitution, independence and functioning of internal committees.
The union also called for a wider state-level audit of POSH compliance across IT and ITES companies in Maharashtra.
(With PTI inputs)
This post was last modified on April 14, 2026 2:57 pm