A 38-year-old engineer employed with Ola Electrics tragically died by suicide, leaving behind a 28-page handwritten note accusing his superiors, including Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, of mental harassment and financial exploitation. K Aravind, who had been working as a homologation engineer since 2022, detailed in his note that he faced undue pressure, mental torture, and was denied his rightful salary and allowances. The incident has raised concerns over workplace practices at Ola, while the company stated that Aravind never raised any formal complaint during his employment.
According to officials, K Aravind consumed poison on 28 September at his residence in Chikkalasandra, Bengaluru. His friends discovered him in distress and immediately rushed him to Maharaja Agrasena Hospital. Despite efforts to save him, he tragically passed away the same day. Following the incident, Bengaluru police registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), and investigations into the circumstances of his death are ongoing.
Shortly after Aravind’s death, his brother found the 28-page handwritten note addressed to him. In the note, Aravind alleged that senior Ola executives, including Subrat Kumar Das and Bhavish Aggarwal, subjected him to workplace harassment and undue pressure. He claimed that repeated mental torture and denial of salary and allowances ultimately pushed him towards taking the drastic step of ending his life.
Ola, in response, issued a statement asserting that Aravind never raised any complaints or grievances regarding his employment or treatment at the company. However, the detailed note has brought the issue of workplace mental health and employee welfare to the forefront, sparking public debate on corporate accountability and the importance of proper grievance redressal mechanisms.
“K Aravind never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or harassment during his time with us. We are deeply saddened by his death and our thoughts are with his family during this difficult time.”
The company added that it has filed a challenge against the FIR involving its founder and other executives before the Karnataka High Court.