Camera found in hostel bathroom begets massive protest in Tata Electronics' Apple unit near Hosur

Based on the inquiry, Thangadurai said police arrested the accused on Tuesday night, even as the protesting employees demanded that all bathrooms on campus be searched.

Chennai: Hundreds of women workers at Tata Electronics Private Limited (TEPL), a key supplier to Apple Inc., held a massive protest Tuesday night after a camera was found inside a bathroom at the company-managed hostel near Hosur in Tamil Nadu. Tension prevailed outside the Vidiyal Residency workers’ hostel in Kelamangalam village as the women employees demanded strict action against their colleague who placed the camera.

TEPL owns a large facility in Nagamangalam where it assembles high-end iPhones and enclosures for Apple, besides manufacturing several smartphone components. P Thangadurai, Superintendent of Police (Krishnagiri), told DH that a woman employee of TEPL from Maharashtra found a camera inside a bathroom on Sunday morning and informed other inmates.

After an internal inquiry, it was learned that Neelu Kumari, 22, from Odisha, had placed the camera but no action was taken against her initially. Enraged by the administration’s callousness, the women employees staged a protest outside the hostel campus, prompting police and district administration officials to hold talks with them.

Based on the inquiry, Thangadurai said police arrested Kumari on Tuesday night, even as the protesting employees demanded that all bathrooms on campus be searched.

“She confessed to placing the camera under pressure from her male friend who works in Bengaluru. She stated she was unwilling but was coerced. No footage was sent to the male friend. We are investigating all angles and looking for the male friend,” added Thangadurai.

The SP said TEPL should have reported the incident to the police instead of just counselling Kumari and letting her off.

“The situation is now normal. We have deployed additional police personnel at the hostel campus. Investigation is ongoing,” Thangadurai added. TEPL did not comment on the incident.

Tata Electronics is the first Indian contract manufacturer for Apple and the third to assemble iPhones in Tamil Nadu, joining Taiwan’s Foxconn and Pegatron

The Tata Group was allotted 500 acres in the GMR Krishnagiri Special Investment Region, a joint venture between GMR and Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), in Uddanapalli near Hosur in 2020 for building an electronics ecosystem.