Nida Khan, who is an accused in the sexual exploitation and religious coercion case involving the TCS BPO facility in Nashik, Maharashtra, is reportedly planning to approach a court seeking anticipatory bail. Nida Khan is one of the two women accused in the case. Police have been looking for her as she has been evading arrest. As per reports, Nida Khan is set to file a plea for anticipatory bail before a local court in Nashik for anticipatory bail on medical grounds. She is reportedly expecting her first child and is planning to make her pregnancy a ground for seeking anticipatory bail.
According to Hindustan Times, her family has confirmed her pregnancy, but rejected the reports claiming that she worked in the Human Resources department of the BPO. Her family said that her designation was that of a tele-caller and that she was part of the sales team. They also said that Khan joined the BPO in 2021 and was not among the senior employees. Her family also said that she was not running away from the police has been at her home all along. They claimed that no policeman has shown up at their house so far.
Who is Nida Khan?
Nida Khan, a graduate of Savitribai Phule Pune University (SPPU), was reportedly working as the Human Resources (HR) manager at the BPO. She was also part of the company’s Internal Complaints Committee (ICC). Khan has been a key figure in the scandal, and serious allegations have been levelled against her in connection with the scandal at the BPO. The FIR states that Nida Khan told one of the victims that the Shivling represented male genitalia and that worshipping it was obscene.
It has been reported that her role at the BPO encompassed addressing employee grievances, maintaining workplace safety and ensuring adherence to the regulations stipulated by the POSH (Prevention of Sexual Harassment) Act. Several victims of the sexual exploitation and religious conversion scandal at the TCS BPO have stated in their FIRs that their regular complaints of harassment were disregarded. Some complainants said that they were under pressure to comply or keep quiet.
The scandal
A Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) facility of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Maharashtra’s Nashik has been embroiled in controversy since a sexual exploitation and religious conversion scandal came to light at the facility. An undercover operation by some women cops at the BPO facility revealed that a group of Muslim employees at the facility, including two women, had been targeting its female employees by subjecting them to sexual abuse and religious coercion. The victims also included a male employee who alleged religious persecution by his Muslim seniors and colleagues.
The exposure prompted the police to form a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the matter. So far, nine FIRs have been registered by the police in connection with the case and eight accused, including a woman, have been arrested. The police are looking for an absconding woman accused.
Recently, the operations at the BPO facility were suspended, and all the employees were instructed to work from home.
