TCS had maintained a stoic silence when the first news of the TCS conversion case had broken out, only to later issue a statement about suspending the concerned employees, but the matter has now drawn attention from the highest levels of the management.
Tata Sons chairman N Chandrasekaran has issued a statement on TCS Nashik probe. He has called the allegations “concerning and anguishing”. He added that TCS COO Aarthi Subramanian will lead the investigation into the matter.
“The complaints and allegations emerging from the Nashik branch of Tata Consultancy Services have been gravely concerning and anguishing,” Chandrasekaran’s statement said. “This incident is being treated with the utmost seriousness. Action has already been initiated against the accused employees, and the company is extending its full cooperation to the ongoing investigations. The Tata Group maintains a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of coercion or misconduct by its employees,” he added.
“A thorough investigation is underway to establish the facts and identify all individuals responsible for this situation. Ms Aarthi Subramanian, Chief Operating Officer at TCS, will lead this investigation. Appropriate and stringent action will be taken against those found guilty. Any necessary process improvements or corrective measures will be promptly implemented and strictly enforced,” Chandrasekaran said.
Six employees of TCS had been arrested on charges of sexual harassment, religious coercion, and forced conversion last week. The case had sent shockwaves through India’s corporate world and reignited urgent conversations about workplace safety, HR accountability, and the duty of care that companies owe to their employees. The six employees — Asif Ansari, Shafi Sheikh, Shah Rukh Qureshi, Raza Memon, Tausif Attar, and Danish Sheikh — had created WhatsApp groups to target vulnerable young women who were facing financial difficulties. After establishing physical relations with them, they’d begun pressuring them to change their religion.
The case had been exposed after some of the victims approached the police. The police then sent 7 undercover women cops into the TCS office, and they collected evidence for 42 days. After they’d caught the accused red-handed, the six had been arrested by the Nashik police. A seventh, Nida Khan, the only woman from the gang, is currently absconding, and the police have launched a manhunt. Meanwhile, central agencies including the NIA, the Anti-terror squad and the IB have joined the probe, and begun interrogating the accused TCS employees.