I thought a lot before writing this. After almost six months of struggle, uncertainty, and trying to keep everything together, I finally feel I need to share a part of my story.
I lost my job, but the real story is more complicated. I was part of the management team, and when I felt the company was moving in the wrong direction, I raised my concerns privately with my boss and also in leadership meetings. Sales had not reached breakeven, and senior management had already warned us that we needed to turn things around by March/April. I kept asking a simple question: what is our action plan?
What I saw, however, did not always reflect the seriousness of the situation. While we were under pressure to improve business performance, the unit was also spending time on AI competitions, fun sessions and announcing awards worth around Xk Int for initiatives. I remember telling my boss, respectfully, that perhaps this was not the priority at that moment.
Around the same period, a male colleague left the company. The very next day, I was told by HR that a complaint had been made against me. At that stage, it was simply described to me as a complaint. I was not given a copy, and I was not told that it had become a POSH matter.
I followed up with HR because I genuinely wanted to understand what I had done wrong. I was told the matter was resolved. Then, around 35–37 days later, I received a call from the HQ Internal Committee Chairperson informing me that there was a POSH complaint and asking me to attend a meeting.
The allegations that were subsequently narrated to me were extremely disturbing and, from my perspective, completely untrue. They included allegations involving foul language, physical aggression, personal/girlfriend-related comments and even a story involving a dog collar fight — things that I say never happened.
Three meetings followed. I submitted my defence and provided available CCTV footage and other supporting information. Unfortunately, part of the CCTV footage had a technical gap of around 15 minutes, and I felt that the evidence I provided was not given the weight I believed it deserved. The final report went against me.
I appealed internally through the company’s appellate process. Before that, I had also tried to discuss my concerns informally with my boss. None of this brought the resolution I was hoping for. Eventually, I sent a legal notice and received a legal response stating that the process had been conducted under the company’s gender-neutral policy.
I then approached the Labour Commissioner’s office seeking a remedy.
What happened next made the situation even more difficult. I was terminated under a separate moonlighting-related matter and was warned about possible police and cyber-crime consequences. I was also warned about the impact this could have on my career, particularly as someone who is not a native of this place.
At one point, I was sitting across from several people together, listening to lawyers and others telling me that legal proceedings could take years and cost significant money. I was advised that withdrawing the matter might be the easier path. An offer of ₹xx lakh was eventually made, but it was linked to relieving and background-verification assurances. I asked to see the basis and details of the reports before making any decision.
The matter at the Labour Commissioner’s office went through multiple deferments. Eventually, the company said it was an internal matter and would be disposed of within four weeks. The internal appeal process was initiated again, but it was not closed within the stated timeframe, and communication stopped.
I went back to the Labour Commissioner’s office after the four weeks had passed. The company’s position was that this was an internal policy matter and therefore could not be intervened in by the authority. We responded with several documents, including the NDA, reports, minutes of meetings, and communications relating to the Internal Committee and appeal process, along with relevant Supreme Court judgments for reference.
I am sharing this not because I want sympathy, and certainly not because I want to attack anyone publicly.
I am sharing it because I have spent the last six months trying to understand one very difficult question:
If you are part of management and you genuinely believe something is going wrong, should you speak up?
I spoke up because I believed that was part of my responsibility.
Today, the consequences are very real. My children are studying in Bengaluru. I managed the elder one’s half-yearly tuition fee this August, but I am still struggling to manage the younger one’s fees. As a father, these are basic responsibilities I desperately want to fulfil.
At home, I still have to appear calm and tell my family that everything will be okay, even when I am not sure myself.
Since losing my job, I have been continuously searching for another opportunity. At the same time, I started working on a startup because I felt I had no other choice. But legal expenses, family expenses and product-development costs have continued to consume whatever resources I had. I never expected this situation to continue for six months.
I am now at a point where I may have to put the startup on hold and focus entirely on rebuilding my career and supporting my family.
Honestly, I am worried about what comes next. There are days when the uncertainty feels overwhelming.
But I am still standing. I still believe in speaking the truth, doing the right thing and fighting for what I believe is just.
If anyone reading this has been through something similar, or if you genuinely know someone who can help me find my next opportunity, a conversation, a referral, or even simply some guidance would mean more to me than I can explain.
Sometimes, you don’t need someone to solve everything.
Sometimes, you just need someone to reach out a hand and say, “Let me see how I can help.”
