Punjab: Woman demands leave from office on Rakshabandhan, gets fired

In a rather bizarre incident in Punjab, an HR manager was unexpectedly let off by her company following an alleged disagreement with her supervisor on a contentious Raksha Bandhan leave policy, according to an NDTV report.

The terminated woman alleged that her boss had given a stipulation via WhatsApp messages that saying that workers who want to take time off for Rakshabandhan celebrations on August 19 this year, will have to bear a 7-day loss of pay from their salaries, rather than just one. Deeming this unjust, the woman revolted and took up the matter to her supervisor.

To her surprise, she was reportedly dismissed from service by the company after this incident. She has also alleged that although she was given a two-week notice period following her termination, her office access was immediately taken away.

The woman revealed the details of her allegations in a LinkedIn post, while also sharing screenshots of WhatsApp conversations she had with her supervisor.

"Tried to take a stand for what was wrong as per the laws. But got a termination letter as a result. He mentioned in the email that he would give me two weeks' time, but he revoked all access so I could leave immediately. This is my chat with my boss, Kunal Kakkar, who terminated me because I took a stand and suggested that we cannot deduct seven days of salary for one day of absence", she wrote in her post.

As per one of the screenshots posted by her, the boss said, "After considering our team unity, I have made the following decision: On August 19th, Raksha Bandhan, there will be no half-day or short leave granted. Attendance is mandatory. If anyone does not come to work on August 19th, they will face a seven-day deduction. Attendance on this day is compulsory. If anyone disagrees with this decision, they are welcome to submit their resignation."

The comapny, however, refuted her allegations once she went public, claiming that she had previously been given numerous warnings.