The academic from Kerala emphasises shared humanity over religious divides and states that society has failed to protect the TCS employee
NEW DELHI — A woman professor in Kerala has been heavily trolled for backing Nida Khan, the alleged mastermind of what some Hindutva groups and the “Godi media” describe as “corporate jihad” by Muslim employees of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) in Maharashtra’s Nashik.
Prof Sumathi from Coimbatore’s Kongunadu Arts and Science College has been subjected to online backlash, including threats, following the publication of her open letter supporting Nida Khan, who is expecting a child soon.
According to posts on the social media platform X, the professor emphasised shared humanity over religious divides and stated that society has failed to protect Nida Khan, arguing against silence regarding injustice.
The TCS conspiracy theory has now been proved to be an orchestrated plan to defame Muslim employees and prevent their employment in corporate institutions. The “Godi media,” a term for the BJP government’s subservient and lapdog media, coined by noted journalist Ravish Kumar, widely publicised the alleged “plot” by Muslim employees to convert Hindu women as part of a larger scheme to defame and malign the already marginalised community. Subsequent investigations have called the conspiracy theory’s bluff and negated the hype created by right-wing vested interests.
In Nashik, Hindu women employees at TCS were allegedly instigated to file police complaints against Muslims.
Despite the hate campaign run against Nida Khan, many fair-minded individuals on social media have come out in support of the Muslim employee.
The Godi media falsely described Nida Khan as an HR manager, but the company later clarified that a Hindu occupied the said post, while Nida Khan works as a tele-caller assistant and was not in Nashik when the controversy erupted. She was in Mumbai with her parents.
The Kerala professor is not the only non-Muslim woman who has taken up cudgels on behalf of Nida Khan and others implicated in the alleged plot; several individuals have reacted strongly against the anti-Muslim campaign.
Oddly, despite clarifications from TCS, the anti-Muslim campaign under the label of “corporate jihad” continues in sections of the media. The company has clearly stated that no employee has filed any complaint regarding forced religious conversion or sexual harassment. The police and a special investigation team have also clarified that no case of forced religious conversion has come to light, nor is any organised gang active.
