Nashik TCS case chargesheet: Pak clerics, Zakir Naik videos used for psychological campaign

Under the guise of curing her "mental stress," an orchestrated campaign of psychological and religious manipulation was unleashed upon a 23-year-old IT professional. 

A chargesheet filed by the Nashik police in court last week exposes the detailed mechanics of a forced conversion and sexual harassment racket operating inside the Nashik branch of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). The document, built upon the testimonies of 106 witnesses, details how a young woman was systematically isolated from her faith, subjected to sexual exploitation, and coerced into studying Islamic theology through the videos of controversial Indian preacher Zakir Naik and Pakistani clerics. 

The victim's ordeal began when the primary accused, Danish Shaikh — a married man — allegedly exploited her emotional vulnerabilities to sexually assault her under the false pretext of marriage. According to her statement, when she expressed fear regarding her family and her future, Shaikh began micro-managing her spiritual and daily life. 

The chargesheet quotes Shaikh telling the victim: "Don't be afraid, trust me, Allah is with us. Stop listening to Bhagwan songs and going to the temple; your stress will decrease." He further instructed her to recite the Tasbeeh, telling her, "The more you take Allah's name, your sins will be forgiven and your good deeds will increase, whether you read Astaghfar, meaning you will ask for forgiveness from Allah and your mental stress will decrease." 

The systemic grooming extended beyond Shaikh. The chargesheet reveals that Shaikh directed two co-workers, Tausif Attar and Nida Khan, to reinforce the religious indoctrination. The victim stated: "Danish had told Tausif and Nida to give me information about Islamic religion. Therefore, Tausif and Nida used to tell me about Islamic religion from time to time. Tausif told me to search for videos of Zakir Naik and Dr Israr Ahmed (Pakistani Islamic scholar) on my mobile on YouTube and listen to them, and I watched them as per his instructions." 

Over weeks of sustained pressure, the victim was continuously exposed to lessons on Islamic theology, including the stories of Ibrahim, Bakri Eid, Zamzam water, Qurbani, and the concepts of Jannah (heaven) and Jahannum (hell). Exhausted and manipulated, she began to succumb to the pressure. "I was convinced that if I accepted the Islamic religion, my mental stress would decrease. I slowly started believing in those things," the victim stated in the chargesheet. Concurrently, Shaikh gained total control over her personal finances after extracting her bank account details and UPI PIN. 

The investigation, handled by a state-appointed Special Investigation Team (SIT), has now broadened its scope to include political patronage. Alongside the three primary arrested accused — Shaikh, Attar, and Khan — the police have formally charged All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) corporator Matin Patel from Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar. 

Patel is accused of actively providing shelter to Nida Khan and her family while she was evading law enforcement, fully aware that her anticipatory bail plea had been rejected. The chargesheet notes that during initial questioning, Patel tried to deflect the investigation, repeatedly telling officers, "Imtiaz Jaleel Sahib ko poochna padega (We will have to ask Imtiaz Jaleel [AIMIM's former Lok Sabha MP])." Intense interrogation eventually forced Patel to disclose the hideout. 

Following a wave of complaints from several women employees at the TCS Nashik unit alleging exploitation, molestation, forced dietary shifts, and the coercion of Islamic practices, eight additional FIRs have been registered at the Mumbai Naka police station.

In response to the widening SIT probe, TCS has said it maintains a long-standing zero-tolerance policy toward coercion and has suspended the employees implicated in the harassment.