Bengaluru: 25-Year-Old Ola Krutrim Techie Allegedly Dies By Suicide; Toxic Work Culture Blamed | Details

Almost a fortnight later since the dead body of a 25-year-old machine learning engineer at Ola Krutrim, an AI company owned by ride-hailing app Ola, was found in Bengaluru's Agara Lake, allegations have surfaced through Reddit posts that the engineer died by suicide owing to toxic work culture and an exploitative manager.

As per media reports, the body of the engineer, Nikhil Somwanshi, was found in the lake on May 8, and a first information report (FIR) was filed to look into the matter.

About The 25-Year-Old Techie

Media reports say that Somwanshi completed his master's degree at Bengaluru's Indian Institute of Science (IISc) with an outstanding 9.30 GPA in 2024. Shortly after, he joined Ola Krutrim in August 2024 as a machine learning engineer.

In the organization, he was allegedly burdened with the added responsibilities of several former colleagues who resigned due to the conduct of their US-based manager, Rajkiran Panuganti.

Work Place Toxicity, Verbal Abuse: The Reddit Post

The incident drew public attention as in a Reddit post, a user named 'Kirgawakutzo' alleged the employees routinely faced Panuganti's "traumatic" verbal abuse which led to a hostile atmosphere, and created a toxic work environment.

Painting a grim picture of the toxic work culture at Ola Krutrim, a Reddit post reportedly said that despite being a fresher, Somwanshi was asked to lead a project while other additional responsibilities also fell on him after two of his colleagues left the company.

The post also named Rajkiran Panuganti, who allegedly verbally abused employees, particularly freshers. According to the Reddit user, Panuganti had no idea how to manage people and frequently bashed people and then disappeared.

The Reddit user 'Kirgawakutzo' alleged the manager continued to mistreat staff even after learning of the engineer's death.

Krutrim employees, requesting anonymity, described the manager as having a longstanding reputation for aggressive and demeaning behavior, often belittling junior employees and labelling them incompetent.

Ola Krutrim's Response

According toa report by Business Today, a Krutrim spokesperson said the company was heartbroken by the loss and is cooperating with the authorities. Somwanshi was on leave at the time, the spokesperson said.

“As a company, we are heartbroken by this loss. Nikhil was a valued team member, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew and worked with him,” the spokesperson added.

Moreover, the company also added that Somwanshi was on personal leave at the time of the incident. The company spokesperson reportedly said, "He had reached out to his manager on April 8, expressing that he needed rest, and was promptly granted personal time off. Later, on April 17, he shared that he was feeling better but would benefit from additional rest, and his leave was extended accordingly."

EY Employee's Death Due To 'Overwork'

This incident shares a striking similarity with the untimely death of a 26-year-old chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil working with Ernst and Young India in July 2024, allegedly owing to work stress. The incident sparked a major controversy and turned the focus on the growing trend of inconvenient corporate work culture in India.

The incident which took place on July 20, 2024, later surfaced when Anna's mother Anita Augustine in a letter to Ernst & Young India chairman Rajiv Memani cited 'overwork' as the reason behind her daughter's death and urged its leadership to bring a change in their work culture that "seems to glorify overwork while neglecting the very human being behind the role".

It was also highlighted in the letter that it was even more disheartening to see that no one from the organisation attended Anna's funeral.

Issuing response to the letter, Ernst & Young India in an official statement said it was deeply saddened by Anna's death and was taking the family's correspondence with the "utmost seriousness and humility".

"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024, and our deepest condolences go to the bereaved family. Anna was a part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so," the statement said.