New Delhi, Aug 11: The Congress on Wednesday appointed MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Chhaya Verma as its whips in the Rajya Sabha, a party statement said.

"Chairperson Sonia Gandhi has appointed MPs Syed Naseer Hussain and Chhaya Verma as whips of Congress Parliamentary Party in Rajya Sabha," the party statement by Congress chief whip in the Upper House Jairam Ramesh said.

The Congress has appointed Mallikarjun Kharge as leader of the Opposition and Anand Sharma as deputy leader of the Congress in the upper house and the move is seen as a measure to strengthen its floor management in the Rajya Sabha.

The party now has the same number of whips and chief whips in the upper house as in the Lok Sabha.

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Nashik (PTI): Weeks after she went into hiding, a female employee of the TCS unit in Nashik, accused in a case related to alleged religious conversion and sexual harassment of some women colleagues, has been arrested, police said.

Nida Khan was held on Thursday in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Nashik Police Commissioner Sandeep Karnik said.

Khan is an accused in the Deolali Camp police station crime register number 156/26 here, he said.

A Special Investigation Team (SIT) of the Nashik police is probing nine cases of molestation and harassment at the IT major’s Nashik unit.

It had arrested eight persons, including a female operations manager, by registering nine FIRs after allegations of exploitation, attempt of forceful conversion, hurting religious sentiments, molestation and mental harassment of female employees at the TCS unit came to light.

The SIT had launched a search for Khan in different parts of Maharashtra. She is accused of targeting employees in a WhatsApp group, pressuring them to pray and eat non-vegetarian food.

According to the FIR, Khan allegedly advised women employees to dress and behave in accordance with Islamic traditions.

Some complainants have also alleged that they were coerced or pressured into adopting religious practices, including praying, changing dietary habits, and adopting religious symbols.

Besides Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) provisions for sexual harassment and defamation, Khan has also been booked under relevant sections of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, as the complainant belongs to a Scheduled Caste.

On April 18, she had moved the Nashik court seeking anticipatory bail and interim protection from arrest pending the plea hearing, citing her pregnancy. Her anticipatory bail plea was rejected by a court here on May 2.

TCS has clarified that it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy towards harassment and coercion of any form for a long time, and the employees allegedly involved in sexual harassment at the Nashik office have been suspended.