Ola top leadership booked as staff's suicide note found; firm denies allegation

Ola Electric said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and that it has moved the Karnataka high court challenging the FIR filed against its officials

Bengaluru: The Bengaluru police have booked Ola Electric’s chief executive officer (CEO) Bhavish Aggarwal and its senior official Subrata Kumar Das for alleged mental harassment and abetment of suicide of a 38-year-old employee of the company, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances on September 28, official said on Monday.

Ola Electric said that during the tenure the deceased, he had never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or any harassment(Reuters)

The company, however, dismissed allegations of harassment and said it is fully cooperating with the investigation and added that it has moved the Karnataka high court challenging the FIR filed against its founder and other officials

A first information report (FIR) was registered against Ola company and its top management including Aggarwal and Das on October 26 based on a complaint filed at the Subramanyapura Police Station in Bengaluru by the deceased’s family, who claimed they had found a suicide note from his residence, which allegedly names Aggarwal and Das, holding them responsible for mental harassment and work-related pressure.

The deceased worked as an engineer in the Homologation Engineering Division of Ola Electric. After his death, initially, the police had registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), suspecting no foul play. However, later developments altered the case’s direction.

According to people familiar with the matter, two days after his death, a sum of ₹17.46 lakh was credited to his bank account by the company. This unexpected transaction raised suspicions among the family members, who then questioned the company officials, including the HR department. The family reportedly received vague and unsatisfactory answers, which deepened their doubts about the nature of his death.

Later, upon further inspection of the deceased’s personal belongings at his residence, the family discovered a 28-page suicide note.

“We have received a copy of the death note from the deceased’s family, followed by it, we registered an FIR on October 6,” Subramanyapura police inspector M Raju told HT. The accused approached the state high court requesting to quash the FIR claiming that there was no truth in it. The court issued a direction to us on October 18, not to take any coercive action against the accused. We have already served notices to the accused and will take appropriate action based on court directions,’’ he added.

In the letter, Aravind wrote that he was being subjected to extreme workplace stress, denied salary and benefits, and humiliated repeatedly by senior officials. The letter further mentioned that he could no longer bear the pressure from his superiors and was ending his life due to their continued harassment.

Police have started a detailed investigation and are expected to question senior company officials in the coming days. The FIR has added relevant sections of the BNS 108 related to abetment of suicide and mental harassment.

Meanwhile, Ola Electric on Monday issued a statement expressing condolences over the death of its employees while also addressing the ongoing investigation related to the case.

“We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, (name withheld by HT), and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time. He had been associated with Ola Electric for over three and a half years and was based at our headquarters in Bangalore. During his tenure, he 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,” the company said.

Ola added that it has moved the Karnataka high court challenging the FIR filed against its founder and other officials. “Protective orders have been passed in favor of Ola Electric and its officials. In order to provide immediate support to the family, the company promptly facilitated the full and final settlement to his bank account. Ola Electric is fully cooperating with the authorities in their ongoing investigation and remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace for all employees,” the company spokesperson said.

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