Ex-Wipro staffer alleges religious harassment, pressure to convert by manager; company responds

Months after allegations of religious coercion emerged at Tata Consultancy Services' Nashik BPO unit, a former Wipro employee has accused her ex-manager of religious harassment and attempting to pressure her into converting to Islam, triggering a police probe and a complaint before the Maharashtra Human Rights Commission.

The woman, who previously worked at Wipro's campus in Pune's Hinjewadi area, alleged that she was subjected to sustained workplace harassment because of her religious beliefs and was eventually forced to resign.

According to the complaint, the accused manager is currently based in Bengaluru and continues to work there.

Ex-employee alleges pressure to adopt another faith

In her complaint, the former employee claimed that senior managers and team leaders repeatedly targeted her during her tenure at the Pune office because of her religious identity. She alleged that certain colleagues and supervisors regularly encouraged her to convert to Islam and follow religious practices associated with the faith.

Police have confirmed receiving the complaint and said an inquiry is underway.

Senior Police Inspector Balaji Pandhare of Hinjawadi Police Station said the woman had accused her female superior of making objectionable remarks and creating circumstances that led to her resignation.

"A project manager working with Wipro has approached us with a complaint against her female superior. We are conducting an inquiry into the allegations and examining what action the company has taken under the provisions of the POSH Act," Pandhare said.

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Wipro responds

Responding to the allegations, Wipro said it has extended full cooperation to investigating authorities and shared all relevant information sought by the police.

"At Wipro, employee welfare, dignity, and respect are paramount. We maintain a zero-tolerance approach towards any form of misconduct, discrimination, harassment, or actions that compromise an individual's fundamental rights and freedoms. We have been fully cooperating with the authorities in this matter and have provided all relevant documents and information to the Pune Police," the company said in a statement.

As the matter is currently under investigation, we cannot comment on the specifics of the case. We remain committed to maintaining a safe, inclusive, and respectful workplace for all our employees," it added.

The allegations come months after a separate controversy involving claims of religious coercion at TCS's Nashik BPO facility, bringing renewed attention to workplace discrimination complaints in the IT sector.