'Gurugram's 32nd Avenue Gave Us No Choice, Forcing Us to Resign Without Pay'

The company said "if we don't resign, a termination would look ugly on our documents," alleges a former employee.

As 32nd Avenue, a commercial hub in Gurugram, faces a crisis amid allegations of financial fraud, employees say their salaries have been withheld for months.

(Image altered by The Quint/Aroop Mishra)

For the past year and a half, I worked as a graphic designer at 32nd Avenue, Gurugram's landmark commercial hub. It was my first job, and so, the way the company has unravelled in recent months has left me deeply shocked.

It was in July-August 2025 when our salaries began to be delayed, and investors started arriving at the office demanding their payments. Soon after, salaries were only partially credited, and from September onwards, I stopped receiving mine altogether.

We were encouraged to keep working each month. We were promised that our salaries would be paid from November onwards. "We know it's Diwali time. We understand. Thank you for being loyal to the company"—these were the assurances given to encourage us [by the management] to continue.

Then, around the first week of December, they told us they couldn't give us an exact date anymore because they didn't know when the money was going to come. Soon enough, I received a call telling me that, because of structural changes, they were laying me off... along with the other 100 employees they had laid off.

Some of us protested, questioning why we were being asked to resign when the company was unable to pay us. Ideally, if they wanted us to leave, they should have provided severance pay and issued a written statement explaining that, due to their inability to pay, we were being let go.

But, the company refused to provide any such document and instead pressured us to resign voluntarily or face termination. They made it sound threatening, warning that termination 'would look ugly on our records,' which left me feeling intimidated.

I did everything I was asked to do. But I received no relieving documents whatsoever. There has been zero communication.

'Even Our PFs Were Not Deposited'

It wasn't just our salaries—the company also failed to deposit our Provident Funds (PFs). And I wasn't alone; most of us were treated this way.

"I haven't got three months of salary, my full and final settlement, and eight months of PF. I have lodged a complaint at the Labour Department in Gurugram, which summoned 32nd Avenue not once but twice, but nobody from the company showed up. In this situation, where I am fighting for three months' salary, I also have to pay for legal representation, causing me more distress."

Simran Sanghvi, Former Social Media Executive, 32nd Avenue

'Our Careers And Livelihood Are At Stake'

The lack of communication and clarity has made this period extremely difficult to cope with. I couldn't pay my rent or cover daily expenses, and living alone in Gurugram has made managing everything on my own overwhelming.

My former colleagues, too, are facing similar challenges.

"I have bills to pay every month. For the longest time, I didn't know what to tell my homeowner because we never got any clarity from the founders about whether we would get our salaries. I also have to pay a monthly student loan installment, which, fortunately, my family has been helping me with for the last few months, but I am unable to pay it myself."

Simran Sanghvi, Former Social Media Executive, 32nd Avenue

Beyond our personal struggles, the greater challenge now is finding another job.

"My team was actually working till mid-January in the hopes that the situation would be sorted out. We were keeping hope. We were keeping trust in the founders. Till now, I have been relying on my family to sustain myself. I am still looking for jobs, but this is what it is. It's a really, really sad situation."

Ritika Goel, Former Assistant Manager, The Vault by 32nd Avenue Studio

As an employee, you feel pretty powerless. You're forced to watch decisions being made without transparency. All we could do was ask for clarity and expect some decency, at the very least an effort to inform us so we could plan our lives better.

Instead, we were kept in the dark for far too long. Most of the conversation has centered on how investors were cheated, which they were, but little attention has been given to the fact that employees also suffered—and continue to suffer. Now, with our CEO, Dhruv Sharma, under arrest, we have no idea if our money will ever come.

Company's Response

After the story was published, 32nd Avenue issued a written statement addressing the concerns raised by the company’s former employees. The company denied the allegations that employees were forced to resign, stating that the resignations were 'voluntary and wilful.'

On the issue of salary payments, the statement said, "In some cases there may have been minor delays in payment of salaries, which are neither deliberate nor intentional but have arisen due to temporary financial constraints."

They further added that the issue shall be resolved at the earliest.

Regarding allegations of not appearing before the labour department, the statement reads, "We have been diligent in attending all legal proceedings, and even before the labour department, we are duly represented by a legal practitioner who has been authorised to provide appropriate responses and factual clarifications."

However, in the written statement, the company did not address the allegation regarding PF not being deposited into employees’ accounts.

(All 'My Report' branded stories are submitted by citizen journalists to The Quint. Though The Quint inquires into the claims/allegations from all parties before publishing, the report and the views expressed above are the citizen journalist's own. The Quint neither endorses nor is responsible for the same.)