NEW DELHI: The National Commission for Women (NCW) on Monday released a detailed report on the alleged sexual harassment case at TCS Nashik, flagging major violations of the POSH Act and describing the workplace as “deeply toxic.” The report said that young and vulnerable employees, particularly Gen Z women, were frequently subjected to sexual and religious harassment by the accused, while the organisation allegedly failed to provide an effective redressal and safety mechanism.“A deeply disturbing and toxic workplace environment marked by pervasive sexual harassment and abuse of authority at the workplace. The accused persons had assumed effective control of the TCS, Nashik. They used to target young and vulnerable girls, and that they harassed them sexually, emotionally, and mentally. The complainants were indeed sexually harassed, attempts of molestation at the hands of the accused persons,” the report said.The key accused was taken into police custody last week. She is being presented in the Nashik Road Court.The report further revealed alleged insults by the accused targeting religion of the victims along with “mythology, beliefs, traditions and practices and by impressing upon the girls that Islam was a far superior religion to Hinduism.”“The accused used to bully female employees by denigrating Hindu mythology, beliefs, traditions and practices and by impressing upon the girls that Islam was a far superior religion to Hinduism. The accused indulged in degrading and belittling the faith in Hinduism and created a coercive atmosphere through repeated anti religious commentary directed at women employees,” the report said.“Many victims noted that younger employees (Generation Z) were particularly susceptible to being influenced by such anti-religious discourse. Security Failures It was noticed that CCTVs were installed however they were nonfunctional,” it added.The report found out that the POSH mechanism at the Nashik unit was largely ineffective and non-functional, with serious lapses in compliance and implementation, making it even more difficult for the victims to lodge complaint.None of POSH members had ever visited or inspected the Nashik office to assess compliance, it said. The workplace lacked the basic mandatory requirements under the Act, including display boards, posters, or notices informing employees about POSH provisions, details of IC members, or penalties for non-compliance under Section 19.“The committee was shocked at the insensitivity demonstrated by the members of the POSH committee/ IC Committee of TCS. They had utterly failed for noncompliance with the mandate of section 19(C) of the POSH act. There was no expression of empathy or sympathy for the female employees at TCS Nasik. It is more than clear that this inaction on the part of the organization was not just a compliance deficit but was a governance deficit as well,” the report said.The report has been submitted to Maharashtra CM Devendra Fadnavis.
