Corporates in Gurgaon wary of Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim’s sentencing
Firms based in Gurgaon have cancelled meetings, deferred events till later this week, staff told to check for advisories
With the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) special court set to pronounce the quantum of sentence in the rape case against Dera Sachha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh, top corporates and employees in Gurgaon are tracking the events closely and will take a call on whether to carry on with business as usual after assessing the security situation on the day of sentencing.
After violence erupted in parts of Haryana and in New Delhi on Friday following the conviction of the Dera chief in the rape case, several companies suspended their work immediately and allowed their employees to work from home on Saturday. The companies had advised employees to leave by 4pm on Friday.
“We are hopeful that the worst of the violence has passed and are aware that the unrest, so far, has only been confined to Panchkula and Sirsa. So far, we have not put out any work-from-home advisory. We are monitoring the situation on an hourly basis and will adapt accordingly. Our colleagues have been advised to track their emails constantly for any notifications or advisories in the matter,” Manas Fuloria, CEO of Nagarro, said.
Many companies have also cancelled their meetings and events that were planned for the weekend and it is learnt that they have deferred most of their engagements till later this week.
“Considering the violence that was on show (after the Dera chief’s conviction) on Friday, we have cancelled our events scheduled for Sunday and also postponed our meetings and appointments till later this week. Women employees have also been given the option of working from home tomorrow (Monday),” the marketing head of a leading real estate company said.
“I am still pondering on whether to head to work on Monday morning or work from home, as the company I work for has not yet issued any statement on the work scenario tomorrow,” Nilesh Dayal, an employee of a software company based in Cyber City, said.
Some companies have advised their employees to report for work as ‘usual’, saying they are monitoring the situation closely and will act as the situation demands.
“It is business as usual till further notice. If there is any advisory, we will communicate,” a spokesperson for Airtel said.
“Since there have been no updates from office, it will be a usual work day tomorrow. We will put out advisories for our employees in the event of any change of plan,” a spokesperson for Emaar, a reality giant, said.