Nida Khan — the alleged mastermind of the TCS conversion case who had evaded authorities so far — appears to have been in touch with her lawyers all this while.
The HR official at the center of the TCS conversion case, Nida Khan, has filed for anticipatory bail. Nida Khan has moved a Nashik court via her lawyers. Her bail application will be heard tomorrow. Khan had been absconding and had evaded a manhunt involving the police and central agencies.
Nida Khan is accused of aiding 6 men — Asif Ansari, Shafi Sheikh, Shah Rukh Qureshi, Raza Memon, Tausif Attar, and Danish Sheikh — of sexually assaulting other women employees and forcing them to change their religion. Police investigations had indicated that Nida Khan could have been the mastermind of the entire operation. Nida Khan has been accused of initially approaching and befriending the victims. She also pressured them to change how they dressed to be more compliant with her religion. Nida Khan was the only female in the group, and would meet the victims in office over lunch and telling them how to behave with the other co-accused in the case. Interestingly, Nida Khan had been transferred from Nashik — her hometown — to Mumbai two months before the case had exploded.
TCS Conversion Case
Six TCS employees working out of the Nashik office are accused of targeting young women employees aged between 18 and 25, deliberately identifying those facing financial difficulties during job interviews by collecting details about their family background and household income. Women employees accused the men of making obscene comments about their bodies and clothes, touching them inappropriately, and mentally harassing them. One of the most serious allegations is of rape, where the accused is said to have forced a relationship by promising marriage. In one reported incident, a female employee was allegedly taken to a resort on a holiday and sexually assaulted.
The women also alleged forcible religious conversion. Complaints include forcing victims to offer namaz, compelling them to eat beef, and pressuring them to convert to another religion. The male complainant alleged he was repeatedly humiliated for his Hindu beliefs. The accused also forced a male colleague to perform Namaz, disrespecting his religion. Some women victims alleged they were compelled to adopt Islamic practices, including wearing a burqa and observing Ramzan fasts.
A seven member women team from the Nashik police had worked undercover at the TCS Nashik office for 42 days to collect evidence against the accused, following which the arrests were made. Central agencies including the NIA, Anti-Terror Squad and IB have joined the probe and are interrogating the accused.