TCS Nashik employee's shocking testimony: Male staffer was asked to...

TCS Nashik case: A male employee at TCS's Nashik branch has alleged that his team leaders forced him to offer namaz, recite the kalma, and wear a skullcap, and when he pushed back, one of them told him to "send his wife" if he wanted a child.

Speaking with India Today, the employee said the ordeal began in 2022, shortly after he joined the company. His team leader, Tausif Akhtar, and colleague Danish Sheikh allegedly singled him out from the start. Tausif, he said, used his authority to pile on extra work, including tasks belonging to others, to keep him overworked.

Both Tausif and Danish were among those first named in an FIR filed by a 23-year-old TCS employee, who alleged that Danish tried to forcibly kiss her and push her toward marriage. She also alleged that Danish's associates, Tausif and HR executive Nida Khan, made derogatory remarks about deities and attempted to influence her religious beliefs.

That complaint prompted police to send undercover women officers into the company to investigate. The two, along with five other male and two female accused, have since been arrested. Nine cases have now been registered based on complaints from several women at the Nashik branch.

Religion as a pressure point

The male complainant described himself as a devout Hindu and follower of Ramdas Swami, who regularly wears a rudraksha mala. He alleged that his religious identity was a constant flashpoint; colleagues mocked Hindu beliefs, questioned the existence of Hindu gods, and made derogatory remarks about revered figures from Maharashtra.

The pressure extended beyond words. He alleged he was taken to hotels after night shifts and pushed to eat non-vegetarian food despite being a strict vegetarian. When he refused, the mockery followed.

On Eid in 2023, he alleged, Tausif took him home, made him wear a religious cap, forced him to offer namaz, and photographed him. Those photographs were later shared in the company's official group, he claimed.

'Send your wife to us'

The harassment, he alleged, eventually turned toward his personal life. The accused repeatedly mocked the fact that he and his wife had no children despite years of marriage and medical treatment, and made remarks suggesting he send his wife to them if he wanted a child.

The confrontations grew physical. He alleged that when he protested, Tausif threw a table fan at him and threatened to kill him. The group, which he identified as Tausif, Danish, Shah Rukh, and Raza Memon, also made inappropriate remarks about female colleagues, he said.

Conversion claims

When his father suffered a paralytic attack, he alleged the accused told him his father would recover only if he converted to Islam.

After he stopped complying, he claimed, false complaints were filed against him at the head office in an attempt to get him dismissed. He said the harassment continued from 2022 until March 23, 2026.

Looking back, the victim alleged the accused had first built what appeared to be a genuine friendship before revealing their intent, repeatedly pressuring him to convert, forcing him to recite the kalma, and demanding he remove his rudraksha mala. The goal, he said, was to break him mentally until he agreed. When he didn't, the targeting intensified.