Angry Haryana employees throw away ‘Diwali gift’ Soan Papdi at company gate; ‘HR ka idea hoga’ — Viral video

Factory workers in Gannaur, Haryana, staged an unusual protest as they were gifted Soan Papdi boxes before Diwali. The manufacturing facility gifted its employees Soan Papdi boxes instead of the customary monetary bonuses, sparking an immediate unrest, as the workers reportedly felt insulted by the gesture.

About the 'Soan Papdi' incident

An undated video is circulating online where those employees are seen throwing away soan papdi boxes outside the factory’s gate. Startup Pedia has not independently verified the authenticity of the video.

 Frustrated by the increasing costs and delayed wages, which had allegedly tightened the household budgets of the workers, the box of sweets felt useless to them.

According to media reports, authorities have confirmed that no property damage or violence occurred as a result of the worker's protest.

एक फ़ैक्ट्री ने इस बार दिवाली पर वर्करों को बोनस की जगह सोहनपपड़ी का डिब्बा दे दिया। विरोधस्वरूप -वर्करों ने सारे डिब्बे फ़ैक्ट्री के गेट पर ही छोड़ दिए। pic.twitter.com/sKKggeoT28

— 𝙼𝚛 𝚃𝚢𝚊𝚐𝚒 (@mktyaggi) October 21, 2025

Also read: Karnataka’s Nandini sells record 1,100 MT sweets earning ₹46 crore this festive season (startuppedia.in)

Netizens respond

The video sparked a debate on social media.

While some criticised the factory for not keeping its promise, others thought that workers should not have thrown the sweets on the ground.

Some jokingly asked if the idea of distributing soan papdi packets was the HR’s idea: “HR ka idea hoga!” 

“Ungrateful employees....... I have faced a similar situation when my business was down and couldn't afford it,” wrote one user on X.

“Bonus is a choice of company's.. not a mandatory rule to be followed. Employees get a salary, promotions and allowances sometimes.. why such disrespect.. a sweet is a sweet,” another said.

Another user wrote, “A gift of any kind is kindness. Throwing away food is just disrespecting the core value of Diwali. Could have given it away to the underprivileged. Aisa karna zaroori nahi tha. Sabko bah kimti cheezein chahiye, warmth nahi. Aise bhavnao se toh ghar mein Laxmi aane se rahi!"

Also read: ‘Our new AI-first web browser, ChatGPT Atlas, is here for macOS': Sam Altman (startuppedia.in)