AIMIM corporator held for allegedly sheltering TCS case accused

An AIMIM corporator Matin Patel is accused of sheltering Nida Khan, a key suspect in a sexual harassment and religious coercion case at TCS’s Nashik unit. Police arrested Khan in a joint operation after interrogating Patel, who allegedly revealed her location

Mumbai: An AIMIM corporator allegedly harboured Nida Khan, an accused in the alleged sexual harassment and religious coercion case at TCS, and her family in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, police said on Friday.

The Nashik police said that the sustained questioning of Matin Patel, a corporator from the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM), led to Khan’s arrest in a high-stakes joint police operation on Thursday.

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Patel has been named as an accused in the case for providing refuge to Khan (27), a key suspect in the religious coercion and sexual harassment racket involving nine female employees at the IT major’s unit, an official said.

Khan was apprehended from the Naregaon area of Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar on Thursday, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik. He said that Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police commissioner Pravin Pawar and his team helped the Nashik city police in their hunt for Khan.

Speaking about the joint operation, Karnik said that the Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar police tracked Khan’s location to the city. Based on a tip-off, city police chief Pawar called Patel and a few others on the pretext of reviewing the charges of security provided to them during the civic body elections, a senior official said.

When Patel reached the police’s security branch, Pawar interrogated him, and after sustained questioning, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader disclosed Khan and her family’s location, the official said.

The police from both cities then conducted searches at a house in the Naregaon area and nabbed Khan, he said. Khan’s father, Ejaj Bashir (52), mother Nilofar Ejaj (44), brother Mohammad Ejaj (20), and aunt Noorjehan Sheikh Ali (44), were also with her in the house, the official said.

The special investigation team (SIT) of the Nashik police had earlier arrested eight persons, including a female operations manager, by registering nine FIRs after allegations of exploitation, attempt of forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit came to light.

According to the FIR, Khan allegedly advised women employees to dress and behave in accordance with Islamic traditions. Some complainants have also alleged that they were coerced or pressured into adopting religious practices, including praying, changing dietary habits, and adopting religious symbols.

Besides Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions for sexual harassment and defamation, Khan has also been booked under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

On April 18, she had moved the Nashik court seeking anticipatory bail and interim protection from arrest pending the plea hearing, citing her pregnancy. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court here on May 2.

TCS has clarified that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time, and the employees allegedly involved in sexual harassment at the Nashik office have been suspended.