TCS case: No evidence of ‘conversion conspiracy’, says APCR report

A fact-finding report by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) has claimed that investigators have found no evidence to support allegations of an organised ‘love jihad’ or religious conversion conspiracy in the workplace harassment case involving Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Nashik.

The report, released on Thursday, 23 April at Mumbai Press Club, said a five-member APCR team visited Nashik on 4 April to assess the situation on the ground. According to the findings, police officials indicated that the nine FIRs registered in the case contain varying and inconsistent allegations.

Citing details reported in The Free Press Journal, APCR said the 'love jihad' angle had been projected as the central narrative in the case. However, investigative agencies have not established any organised attempt at religious conversion.

Instead, the report said, the core of the case pertains to allegations of sexual harassment and related workplace misconduct, though some complaints do include claims of hurting religious sentiments. It added that there is no conclusive material to demonstrate any systematic or organised conversion activity.

APCR has demanded that the probe be handed over to a retired judge and has also called for narco tests of both complainants and the accused.

The press conference was attended by representatives from several civil society groups, including the People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP), and the Bombay Catholic Sabha (BCS).

APCR national secretary Nadeem Khan alleged that the case appeared to be part of a “deliberate attempt” to push educated Muslim youth out of corporate employment. “It is difficult to believe that someone can be forced to observe fasts round the clock. The FIRs filed by the police raise several questions, and their role has become questionable,” he said.

Former journalist and Nashik-based activist Niranjan Takle claimed that the first FIR in the case was registered on the complaint of an individual who was neither a victim nor an employee of TCS. He added that many of the allegations across FIRs were vague and difficult to substantiate. Takle further alleged that the controversy may have been amplified to divert attention from a separate, highly contentious sexual exploitation case in Nashik involving self-styled godman Ashok Kharat.

Teesta Setalvad, secretary of CJP, said the central issue in the case should be workplace safety and institutional accountability. She pointed out that complaints of workplace sexual harassment formed a relatively small share of the 12,019 cases reported by the Maharashtra State Commission for Women in 2023–24.

“The focus should be on sexual harassment, institutional mechanisms, and ensuring a safe work culture — not on communalising the issue. Crimes must never be linked to any one caste or community,” she said.