K Aravind had been working as a homologation engineer at Ola since 2022, police officials reportedly said. He consumed poison on September 28 at his residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka, after which his friends rushed him to a hospital. Read on for more on this.
Bhavish Aggarwal, co-founder of Ola.
A 38-year-old engineer at Ola Electric has died by suicide, leaving behind a 28-page handwritten note, accusing several company seniors of mental harassment and financial exploitation. He also named Ola co-founder and Ola Cabs chief executive officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal in the note. Ola has reacted to the incident, saying the the engineer never raised any grievance or complaint regarding his employment or alleged harassment.
K Aravind had been working as a homologation engineer at Ola since 2022, police officials reportedly said. He consumed poison on September 28 at his residence in Bengaluru, Karnataka, after which his friends rushed him to a hospital. Aravind died the same day while undergoing treatment. Shortly after Aravind’s demise, his brother found the note that was addressed to him. Police have since filed an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), according to officials.
In his death note, Aravind accused top staffer Subrat Kumar Das and co-founder Aggarwal of workplace harassment and pressure. He said he had been mentally tortured and denied his salary and allowances, which drove him to end his life. Aravind’s brother said a suspicious bank transfer of more than Rs 17 lakh was made in his account two days after his death. When asked about the transaction, Das allegedly gave vague answers. Aravind’s brother filed a complaint with the police, who have filed a case against Aggarwal, Das, and several others earlier this month. An investigation has since been launched into Aravind’s allegations.
On Monday, close to a month after Aravind’s passing, Ola released a statement and condoled Aravind’s death. “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time,” the company said. It added: “During his tenure, Aravind never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or any harassment. His role also did not involve any direct interaction with the company’s top management, including the promoter.” Ola further said it has challenged the FIR against its founder and other staffers in the Karnataka High Court.
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