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TCS responds after viral image shows employee sleeping outside Pune office
The Forum for IT Employees (FITE), a support group for tech workers, strongly criticised the company’s handling of the matter.
In response to the controversy, TCS issued a formal clarification attributing the issue to More’s prolonged unauthorised absence from work.
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS), India’s largest IT services firm, has issued a statement in response to a disturbing incident involving one of its employees, Sourabh More, who was found sleeping on the pavement outside the company’s Pune campus. A photograph of More, accompanied by a handwritten note alleging non-payment of salary and repeated neglect by the company’s HR department, went viral on social media earlier this week, prompting widespread public outrage and calls for accountability.
The image, first posted by an Instagram page called @beingpunekarofficial on August 2, showed More lying on the footpath outside TCS’s Sahyadri Park campus with his belongings and a placard. The note claimed that despite resuming work on July 29 and attending a meeting on July 30 where HR officials had allegedly promised to credit his pending salary by July 31, he had not received any payment. “I have informed HR I don’t have money and will be forced to sleep and live outside TCS on footpath,” the letter read.
“I have reported back to TCS Sahyadri Park Pune Office on July 29, and still my ID is not active on Ultimatix and TCS systems, and I haven’t received my salary, which was confirmed at the 30th July 2025 meeting,” More wrote, further alleging: “HR has not responded to that and kept quiet. Hence, I have been living on the footpath since July 29 in front of TCS.”
As the image began circulating widely, many social media users called out TCS for failing to take care of its employees and questioned how an individual working at one of the country’s most prestigious IT firms could be left in such a desperate situation.
In response to the controversy, TCS issued a formal clarification attributing the issue to More’s prolonged unauthorised absence from work. A company spokesperson said: “This is a case of unauthorised absence where the employee has been absent from office. In accordance with standard procedure, payroll was suspended during this period. The employee has now reported back and requested reinstatement. We have provided him accommodation for now and are supporting him in addressing his situation in a fair and constructive manner.”
While the company maintained that suspension of payroll was routine policy in cases of unexplained leave, the incident has triggered broader questions about the robustness of employee grievance redressal mechanisms at large IT firms. The fact that an employee felt compelled to sleep on the street and protest outside office premises in order to draw attention to his issue has drawn concern from both employee advocacy groups and industry observers.
The Forum for IT Employees (FITE), a support group for tech workers, strongly criticised the company’s handling of the matter. In a statement, FITE said: “We stand in solidarity with the TCS employee protesting outside their Pune office for his pending salary. His courage to raise his voice in such dire conditions is commendable.”
FITE also advised other IT employees who may be facing similar challenges not to suffer in silence. “Salary delays and job-related issues should also be formally reported to the Labour Office. Protesting is a strong visual message, but combining it with a legal complaint strengthens the fight and compels accountability,” the group added.
As the incident garners national attention, labour rights experts have underscored that Indian labour laws require timely payment of wages and mandate proper processes before salary suspensions. If due process was not followed, legal consequences could follow.
More’s public protest has now put pressure on TCS not only to resolve his case but to evaluate how such issues are handled internally, especially in a sector known for its rigid hierarchies and opaque HR processes. The company’s assurance of “fair and constructive” support will be closely watched as stakeholders await a resolution.
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