A crowd began gathering outside Deolali Camp Police Station in Nashik on the evening of March 25 and by midnight, an eyewitness told Newslaundry, there were at least 200 people outside. “Most of them were youngsters, and more kept arriving,” he said. “Many had a tilak on their foreheads.”
By 1:01 am on March 26, the first FIR was filed.
It concerned a 23-year-old woman employee at TCS Nashik who alleged that a colleague, Danish Shaikh, had made a false promise of marriage, forced her into a physical relationship, made derogatory remarks about Hindu deities, and praised Islam – and who later discovered he was already married with two children.
Nitin Gaikwad, a local Shiv Sena leader from Deolali, has since told Newslaundry that he and Hindutva groups were involved from the start.
“We went to meet the girl and counselled her for at least two to three days, helping her understand the situation. Several Hindutva organisations joined us in this process, after which we went to the police station and got the FIR registered,” he said. When asked to name the organisations involved, he did not specify any. “All Hindu organisations came together, the entire Sakal Hindu Samaj stood united.” He added: “After the first FIR, we helped the police identify the accused’s friends. We kept sharing information, and the police acted on it.”
That first FIR named three people. Over the following week, eight more FIRs were filed – all at the Mumbai Naka police station, four of them in the middle of one night.
Most of the nine FIRs contain allegations of sexual harassment and derogatory remarks about Hindu deities. Not one invokes Maharashtra’s anti-conversion law, the Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026. However, seven of the FIRs invoke Section 3(5) of the BNS – the common intention provision – which points to joint liability and indicates the police view at least part of the alleged conduct as coordinated.
Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik has said the accused “formed a group or gang in the office” and “misused their authority or position” to harass colleagues “sexually and religiously”.
The case then took a life of its own. Television channels ran it around the clock. It was called “corporate jihad” and “love jihad”. A Supreme Court plea has sought to classify organised coercive conversion as a terrorist act. Politicians have weighed in.
The most awkward challenge to the “corporate jihad” coverage so far has been the claims made by the family of Nida Khan, who was described in several media reports as an HR manager and the “mastermind” of an organised grooming gang. Some reports even linked her to a Red Fort terror blast accused.
Khan is a 26-year-old process associate with no recruitment or leadership role, her company says. She is named in just the first of the nine FIRs, and is accused of mocking Hindu deities. She was called absconding but her family says she is pregnant and has been at her home in Mumbai throughout.
Attempts to reach out to complainants
The nine complaints are against eight TCS colleagues – seven Muslim, including Nida Khan, and one Hindu woman called Ashwini Chainani. Several of the accused held supervisory positions. Four complaints mention senior managers who allegedly dismissed allegations brought to them.
This sits at odds with TCS CEO K Krithivasan’s statement that a preliminary review found no complaints matching the allegations on its ethics or POSH channels. The company has since appointed Deloitte and Trilegal to assist an internal investigation, and set up an oversight committee headed by independent director Keki Mistry.
Most of the nine FIRs contain allegations of sexual harassment and derogatory remarks about Hindu deities. Not one invokes Maharashtra’s anti-conversion law, the Dharma Swatantrya Adhiniyam, 2026. However, seven FIRs invoke Section 3(5) of the BNS – the common intention provision – which points to joint liability and indicates the police view at least part of the alleged conduct as coordinated.
The closest any FIR comes to forced conversion is the complaint filed by the lone male employee. He alleges he was taken to a senior colleague’s home on Eid and made to offer namaz against his will and pressured to recite the Kalma.
On the question of how the later FIRs came to be filed, and on reports that said an undercover probe led to them, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik has clarified that plain-clothes women officers visited the TCS office after the initial complaint and encouraged employees to come forward. “They told the employees to be fearless and that if anybody has a complaint they can come forward, after which more complaints were registered,” he said. A senior police officer put it differently when asked about the media coverage: “Media people have made so many stories. No one is interested in what we say but only in what they want to hear.”
To seek a police response to local Sena leader Nitin Gaikwad’s claims, Newslaundry contacted ACP Sandeep Mitke and Sub-Inspector Mitali Koli of Deolali Police Station, who was initially the investigating officer in the case. However, they didn’t respond. We also reached out to the complainants. Five of them refused to speak, and the remaining were unavailable. We will update this report if we receive a response from the police or the complainants regarding Gaikwad’s claims.
The case is now with an SIT, alongside TCS’s own internal probe. Here is what the FIRs and the complainants in them say.
FIR No.1: Sexual coercion, remarks against religion
The first FIR was filed at 1:01 am on March 26 at Deolali Camp Police Station by a 23-year-old TCS associate against Danish Shaikh, Tausif Attar, and Nida Khan. The accused were charged under BNS Section 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means), Section 75 (sexual harassment), Section 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), and Section 3(5) (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention). Sections of the SC/ST Act were added to this FIR.
The complainant in this case alleged she had known Danish Shaikh before joining TCS, having met him in January 2022 at Levitt Market in Deolali Camp. Both had graduated from the same college. They developed a friendly relationship and started talking and meeting regularly. Shaikh told her he was working at TCS and assured her he could get her a job there.
In July 2022, when Shaikh came to meet her at Khandoba Tekdi, Deolali Camp, he demanded physical relations and forcibly pulled her close. When she tried to resist, he expressed his desire to marry her, to which she replied she would think about it.
After completing her BCA degree, on Shaikh’s suggestion, she gave an interview at TCS and was selected as an Associate. Since Shaikh was also in the same company, their meetings became frequent. Along with Shaikh, his friends Tausif Attar and Nida Khan also used to be with them. They would go to the canteen and on outings together.
She stated: “During that time, Danish Shaikh and Tausif would explain the differences between the Hindu and Muslim religions and used to tell how their religion is better.”
She further alleged: “Additionally, Nida Khan and Tausif, who were with us, would try to convince me that the Shivling is essentially a male sexual organ and that worshipping it is obscene. Also, Danish would say objectionable things that hurt religious sentiments, such as calling Lord Krishna a womaniser and saying that Draupadi was an adulteress because she had five husbands.”
In August 2024, when Shaikh and she went out on his bike, he took her to Hotel Anand Resort, Trimbak Road, without informing her in advance. Upon arriving, Shaikh forced her to have physical relations. When Tausif Attar found out about the physical relationship, he threatened to tell her family and demanded a physical relationship with her. He said he would only keep quiet if she fulfilled his desires. While she was in the office, Tausif would catch her in the lobby or pantry and engage in sexual antics.
She stated: “After that, Danish and Tausif would constantly say bad things about the Hindu religion and talk about how great their religion is and how my life would change if I converted to that religion, while seeking physical proximity with me.”
In February 2026, a woman named Mahirin messaged her saying she wanted to talk. When the complainant called her back, she learned that Mahirin was Danish Shaikh’s wife and that they had two children.
She stated: “When I questioned Danish Shaikh about why he cheated on me by lying when he was already married, he gave evasive answers and said he was never interested in marrying me. Between July 2022 and February 2026, Danish Shaikh, Tausif Attar, and Nida Khan hurt my religious sentiments by saying objectionable things about the deities of the Hindu religion. Danish Khan, while already being married, lied to me, gave me a promise of marriage, took me into confidence, and had physical relations with me from time to time at Khandoba Tekdi, Deolali Camp, and Hotel Anand Resort, Trimbak Road. Tausif Attar committed acts in the office lobby and pantry that caused me shame.”
In the FIR, the only time Nida Khan was mentioned was in relation to mocking Hindu gods. However, all three have been booked for offences mentioned under the FIR.
The key takeaways from the other FIRs
The eight remaining FIRs were filed at Mumbai Naka Police Station. Four were registered in the middle of one night – between 1:58 am and 4:30 am on April 2. Three more were filed in the afternoon, evening and night on the same date. The ninth was filed past midnight on April 3.
The charges invoked vary across the eight complaints. The accused were named as Danish Shaikh, Tausif Attar, Shahrukh Qureshi, Raza Memon, Asif Ansari, Shafi Shaikh, and Ashwini Chainani.
Six of them – FIRs 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, and 9 – invoke Section 3(5), the common intention provision, apart from the first one, which tries to establish joint liability among the accused.
Four of the eight – FIRs 4, 5, 6, and 7 – invoke Sections 299 and 302, the provisions that deal with outraging religious feelings and uttering words with deliberate intent to wound religious sentiments.
The four FIRs that do not carry charges linked to outraging religious sentiments – FIR 2, 3, 8 and 9 – carry the common intention provision and legal sections linked to sex crimes. The only accused not booked in any FIR linked to hurting religious sentiments is Ashwini Chainani, who is booked under the common intention provision though. All the eight accused are booked in at least one FIR under the common intention provision.
The eight remaining FIRs were filed at Mumbai Naka Police Station. Four were registered in the middle of one night – between 1:58 am and 4:30 am on April 2. Three more were filed in the afternoon, evening and night on the same date. The ninth was filed past midnight on April 3. The charges invoked vary across the eight complaints.
The complaint that comes closest to what is understood as forced conversion is the one filed by the lone male complainant. He alleges that his team leader Tausif Attar regularly mocked Hindu deities, touched his chest and his Hanuman locket while using abusive language and pressured him to eat non-vegetarian food against his religious beliefs. On Eid 2023, he alleges Attar took him home, placed a cap on his head, made him offer namaz against his will, photographed him, and shared the image in an office group. When his father suffered a paralysis attack in March 2023, he says Attar and three other accused told him his father would recover if he converted.
All nine FIRs invoke at least two of these sections linked to sex crimes: BNS sections 69 (sexual intercourse by deceitful means), 74 (intent to outrage modesty), 75 (sexual harassment), 78 (stalking), and 79 (insulting the modesty of a woman). Even the FIR based on a complaint by the male staffer, who claimed Danish Shaikh made an obscene remark suggesting he send his wife to him.
Across the seven complaints filed by women, the alleged misconduct falls into two broad categories.
The first is sexual harassment: lewd staring, unsolicited physical contact, and sexually suggestive remarks. Asif Ansari is alleged in FIR 7 to have hugged a complainant alone in a passage and in FIR 6 to have asked an obscene question while staring at her chest during training. Raza Memon is accused in two separate FIRs – by two different newly married women – to have asked intrusive questions about their honeymoons. On Gudi Padwa, March 19, 2026, three complainants from different teams describe being harassed: one allegedly had her saree pallu pulled by Shafi Shaikh, another was publicly summoned to a desk by Raza Memon and stared at, a third was asked by Shahrukh Qureshi if they should go somewhere together.
The second category is derogatory remarks about Hindu deities. Where these charges are invoked – FIRs 4, 5, 6, and 7 – Tausif Attar is the accused most consistently named, across four FIRs, for remarks about Lord Krishna, Lord Shankar, Goddess Parvati, Lord Ram, and Sita. Asif Ansari is named for similar remarks in FIR 7.
Three of the nine FIRs – the first, the fourth, and the fifth – contain allegations that go beyond derogatory remarks about Hindu deities to include comparisons with Islam. In the first and fifth complaint, the accused are alleged to have asserted the superiority of Islam. In the fourth, Tausif Attar is alleged to have told the complainant that an unseen god is the true god and that visible deities are not real.
Apart from these three, FIR 3 also contains a reference to Islam, though in a different register: Tausif Attar is alleged to have repeatedly suggested to a complainant who had suffered a miscarriage that she visit a Maulvi in Ajmer for help conceiving.
Three of the nine FIRs – the first, the fourth, and the fifth – contain allegations that go beyond derogatory remarks about Hindu deities to include comparisons with Islam. In the first and fifth complaint, the accused are alleged to have asserted the superiority of Islam. In the fourth, Tausif Attar is alleged to have told the complainant that an unseen god is the true god and that visible deities are not real.
Running through nearly all the complaints is a common thread: when women reported the harassment internally, nothing happened. The complainant in FIR 2 was allegedly told by assistant general manager Ashwini Chainani, “Why do you want to be highlighted? Let it go.” The complainant in FIR 4 stopped reporting altogether, believing it was pointless. The complainant in FIR 8 claimed: “I did not know whom to approach with my complaints, as no action had been taken earlier. I felt that no one was listening to me.”
FIR 2 is the only one among the nine to also invoke Section 356 of the BNS – defamation – relating to the allegation that Raza Memon spread rumours in the office that the complainant was having an affair with a colleague.
Several names appear in the complaints as witnesses, supervisors, or bystanders and are not among the nine accused.
Families of the accused point to a different account
Families of the accused, however, are coming forward with a different account of events.
Ejaz Khan, the father of Nida Khan, insists that his daughter’s role has been grossly exaggerated to fit a sensationalist narrative.
“They are ruining my daughter’s name. The media has portrayed her as the mastermind of some racket, even calling her an HR [Head]...she is a junior employee who earns Rs 15,000-16,000 a month. She has been working at TCS for the past three and a half to four years, yet they have turned her into a villain running some international racket,” Ejaz told Newslaundry.
He challenged the claim that she was evading authorities. Following her husband’s transfer, Khan had moved to Mumbai and had been working at TCS’s Malad branch for the last four months, he said. Her father noted that she worked there consistently until the company suspended her sometime around “April 9 or April 10” when the alleged scandal caught the media spotlight. The family claims they were never officially contacted by the police.
Making matters worse is Nida’s current health, as she is pregnant and under medical duress, he said. “Media channels showed her photographs and falsely linked her to a woman accused in the Red Fort terror case. Some are even claiming she went to Delhi to meet such people. She has never been to Delhi in her entire life. People circulated her images on social media. You cannot imagine the pain and agony she is going through.”
Other families share this sentiment. Aqsa Memon, wife of Raza Memon, said her husband’s 10-year tenure was without a single formal complaint.
She told Newslaundry that her husband was on Eid leave when the first FIR was filed against Danish Shaikh and only learned of it when he was called to the office. She recalled that he was subsequently arrested on the night of April 1 after being taken to the police station under the pretext of signing paperwork. “Once the media coverage intensified and came with all sorts of conspiracy theories, people were afraid to even speak, because they feared that they could become a target as well.”
The wife of Shahrukh Qureshi described the case as “nothing but selective targeting of Muslims,” calling the arrest process arbitrary. Following an initial four-to-five-hour inquiry on March 29, during which police confiscated his phone, Qureshi was taken from his home late on April 1, she said. The police told him they needed his signature on some documents and asked him to come to the Mumbai Naka police station, she recalled. But they arrested him in a new case, saying some women employees had filed complaints against him, she said.
When Qureshi’s wife asked him about the allegations, he maintained his innocence. She recalled, “He told me that as a team leader, he interacts with team members as part of his job, but he has never troubled anyone or made any communal or inappropriate remarks about any religion…Now, because of the Danish case, all of us are being dragged into this.”
She further condemned the sensationalist labels used in media coverage. “If any of this had been happening for years, where was the management? Where are the formal POSH complaints? The entire case is fabricated.”
Nida Khan’s lawyer Baba Sayyad reinforced these claims, arguing that the media narrative has overtaken the facts and she was never absconding. “Not even a single FIR has booked the accused person under the charges of religious conversion, but the media is showing that they were running an organised grooming gang to do religious conversion. This case has entirely become a media trial.”
This report was originally published in the Newslaundry and can be accessed here.