Nashik TCS case: Accused families claim Hindutva groups scripted ‘love jihad’ angle

In a case of a reported office love relationship that was later turned into multi-layered criminal offences, including alleged love jihad, forced conversion and rape, as reflected in the police-filed FIR in a case related to the Nashik unit of Tata Consultancy Services, the families of the accused suggest that the police case is based on a well-narrated script provided by Hindutva groups, like the Bajrang Dal, which allegedly influenced the complainant.

The sequence of events was set in motion on March 25, when a woman employee approached the Deolali Camp Police Station alleging sustained sexual harassment, mental coercion and religious intimidation spanning several years, and the complaint precipitated police action, with multiple FIRs being registered and several employees arrested, including senior functionaries.

As the investigation gathered momentum, the Nashik City Police constituted a Special Investigation Team, which proceeded to document a series of complaints that it described as indicative of a broader pattern of misconduct.

Danish Shaikh, one of the accused, was charged with rape because the relationship had been established under a false promise of marriage.

The families of the accused have advanced a counter-narrative, asserting that the entire episode originated from a failed personal relationship between Shaikh and the complainant, which, they argue, was subsequently amplified and communalised.

The wife of one of the accused stated that the workplace had been cognisant of the relationship between the Danish and the woman employee's eventual breakdown, while also alleging that external actors, like Hindutva groups, encouraged the escalation of the matter into multiple complaints implicating others.

These claims have been accompanied by allegations that the complainant’s family sought political intervention, following which the case acquired a wider dimension, although such assertions have not been substantiated within the official investigation.

Police officials have consistently maintained that each FIR was based on independent testimonies recorded before a magistrate, and not on any singular or orchestrated complaint.

Officers have stated that several women came forward only after being assured of protection, and that the registration of multiple FIRs was necessitated by the seriousness and specificity of the allegations.

The arrest of Ashwini Chainani, an operations manager and a member of the internal Prevention of Sexual Harassment committee, has further complicated the matter, as investigators allege that she failed to act upon verbal complaints brought to her attention, while her supporters contend that her detention risks undermining institutional grievance mechanisms within corporate environments.

The uncle of the accused Raza Memon has alleged that the ongoing Nashik case involving employees of Tata Consultancy Services is “scripted” and forms part of a broader conspiracy, asserting that Hindutva groups were involved in shaping the course of events.

Speaking to the media, Razak Kazi said that the families of the accused were deeply distressed and claimed that developments in the case were unfolding in line with a preconceived design, while alleging the involvement of the Bajrang Dal and stating that the complainant’s family had approached the group.

He further contended that an individual initially cleared during the investigation was subsequently arrested again, reinforcing his claim that the entire sequence had been orchestrated.

Kazi argued that the case had been expanded beyond its original scope, resulting in multiple families being drawn into the legal process, even as his remarks emerged amid broader allegations by relatives of the accused that the investigation had unfairly implicated individuals with no direct connection to the initial complaint.