In a troubling development on April 19, 2025, Mrinal Baranwal, who previously worked at JetSynthesys-owned Skyesports, stepped forward with serious sexual misconduct allegations against the company’s top leadership involving three names.
The claims were directed at Shiva Nandy, the Founder and CEO, Vijay Krishnan, Head of Esports, and Sashank Bhandaru, Head of Global Business Partnerships.
From where it all began – The trip to Mumbai and the Dussehra Puja
On Saturday, former Project Coordinator at Skyesports, Mrinal Baranwal, took to the social platform X to explain why she decided to leave the company just 9 months after joining. Mrinal joined Skyesports in February 2024, enthusiastic about her role and the opportunities ahead.
However, she soon began to encounter unsettling behaviour from senior executives. She recounts instances where she was invited to informal outings under the guise of team bonding, only to face uncomfortable advances.
She writes about the day before her planned trip to Mumbai on the 17th of April last year where she was supposed to travel with Shiva to meet clients: “When I asked Vijay what to pack, like formals or t-shirt jeans, he said, Don’t pack loose clothes, if you know what I mean”.
During the same business trip, she alleges that CEO Shiva Nandy insisted on drinking in her hotel room and later expressed disappointment when she maintained professional boundaries.
“He (Shiva) made drinks for us and tried to initiate small talk, to which I gave small replies. I stretched that one drink for over 1.5 hours, seeing which he understood and took off,” she recounts. “I got a call from Vijay saying that Shiva was upset that I didn’t drink and open up with him. I said I didn’t understand what he expected of me, but it was all in vain,” Mrinal wrote.
Mrinal shared that her final breaking point came on Dussehra Puja in the company, when she caught Vijay had taken a photo of her from a “back angle” without her knowledge. “I was done. I was tired. I was scared. I couldn’t take it anymore. I put in my papers the very next week,” she wrote.
Despite raising her concerns with Skyesports’ HR department, Mrinal reports that her complaints were ignored. After months of follow-ups, the only response was a “seminar” on workplace conduct, which the three didn’t even attend. This eventually led to her resignation in December 2024.
Alexa, another former employee, shared her experience, saying, “I left Skyesports last year after a similar incident. At a Bangalore event, Vijay tried to be too touchy, even grabbing my hand. Later, I was forced to either move to Chennai or resign, so I left.”
Skyesports CEO responds to the sexual misconduct allegations: “the last 48 hours have been tough”
On the 20th of April, Skyesports CEO, Shiva Nandy, responded to the sexual misconduct allegations made by the former employee, describing the last 48 hours as “tough and unforgettable,” on what he claims to be “unfounded allegations”.
He denied the accusations made by Mrinal and two other former employees, Ananya Sadhak and Alexa. Nandy also explained that his silence was due to needing time to process the situation and respect the internal HR procedures before speaking out.
Nandy strongly denied all the claims against him. He addressed the accusation about inappropriate room sharing, explaining that it was a misunderstanding due to last-minute hotel arrangements.
Regarding the alleged inappropriate touch on the beach, Nandy said he was simply consoling Mrinal after she was removed from a project, and he described his actions as “brotherly”. He emphasised that he took her later discomfort seriously by sticking to more formal boundaries after that.
Shiva also pointed out that the timing of these allegations coincided with Mrinal’s performance issues, including an extended probation period and a denied pay raise. There is no mention of the Dussehra photo incident that Mrinal shared in Nandy’s response.
It’s the need of the hour to put a stop to experiences like these
Yes, there are two sides to a story, but on a personal note, I felt awful reading her story. It’s deeply unsettling to think that three married men could behave this way toward a female colleague, especially in an industry where we constantly talk about creating safe spaces for women in gaming.
Her experience is a strong reminder that things need to change. It shows how important it is for companies, not only in gaming, to think deeply about how they treat people and to take real steps to create safe and respectful workplaces.
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