UBT Sena slams BJP’s ‘corporate jihad’, claims selective outrage in rape cases involving Hindus

The rhetoric of a Maharashtra minister branding the alleged exploitation of women staff at a Nashik-based IT company as “corporate jihad”, following the arrest of eight Muslim men, has drawn sharp criticism from the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena (UBT), which accused the BJP-led Mahayuti government of focusing on the religion of the accused rather than the gravity of crimes.

Mounting a strong political attack through an editorial in its mouthpiece Saamana, the Shiv Sena (UBT) argued that while allegations against Muslim employees triggered immediate outrage, political mobilisation and demands for stringent probes, comparable seriousness was conspicuously absent in cases involving self-styled Hindu godmen accused of prolonged sexual exploitation in the same district, according to The Indian Express.

The party contended that such differential responses revealed a pattern in which crimes against women were assessed through a communal lens, thereby distorting the pursuit of justice and undermining institutional credibility.

The controversy emerged after multiple employees of a Business Process Outsourcing unit in Nashik’s Mumbai Naka area lodged complaints alleging sexual harassment, molestation and religious intimidation by colleagues, several of whom were in supervisory roles.

The first complaint, filed on March 25 at Deolali Camp police station, alleged that a woman employee had been sexually exploited repeatedly between 2022 and 2026, while also accusing colleagues of hurting religious sentiments.

Complainants further alleged that the accused made objectionable remarks about Hindu deities, forced them to consume non-vegetarian food including beef, and subjected them to persistent intimidation, with some claiming that fear of losing employment prevented earlier disclosure.

A Special Investigation Team was constituted to examine the charges, which authorities described as serious and warranting thorough scrutiny.

The arrests acquired political overtones after Maharashtra minister Nitesh Rane characterised the episode as “corporate jihad”, asserting that similar action would be taken as in cases labelled “love jihad” or “land jihad”.

The remarks were accompanied by demands for stringent punishment and questions regarding the company’s internal handling of complaints. Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis also termed the allegations “very serious”, stating that sexual harassment and coercion within a corporate environment were unacceptable and promising decisive legal action against those found guilty.

Responding sharply, the Shiv Sena (UBT) editorial juxtaposed the IT company controversy with earlier allegations against Nashik-based self-styled godman Ashok Kharat, who has been accused of sexually exploiting multiple women under the guise of religious rituals.

The editorial detailed allegations involving abuse in the name of “tantra-mantra”, use of intoxicants, filming of explicit videos and subsequent blackmail, claiming that more than 100 such videos had surfaced, while also referencing another accused, Ravindra Erande, who was arrested with numerous obscene recordings used for extortion.

Despite the scale of those allegations, the Sena argued, there was no comparable political mobilisation, no sustained outrage, and no sweeping rhetoric invoking religious identity.

It accused sections claiming to defend Hindutva of displaying selective indignation, asserting that when accused individuals belonged to Muslims, the incidents were amplified politically, whereas exploitation by “self-styled Hindu babas” was dismissed as superstition or isolated misconduct.