Ola Krutrim Says Employee Who Died By Suicide Was On ‘Personal Leave’
As a company, we are heartbroken by this loss, Ola Krutrim says, after Reddit posts claim the employee died by suicide due to “extreme work pressure”.
Ola Group has confirmed that an employee at its AI unit, Krutrim, has died by suicide after Reddit posts claimed the person took the step due to “extreme work pressure”.
“We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of one of our most talented young employees on the 8th of May,” an Ola Krutrim spokesperson told NDTV Profit over an email. “Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
The employee, whose name has been redacted due to privacy concerns, was on “personal leave” at the time of the incident, according to Ola Group.
On 8 April, the employee had reached out to his manager, saying that he needed rest, and “was promptly granted personal time off”, the Krutrim spokesperson said. On 17 April, he asked for more time off, and his leave was extended accordingly.
According to Reddit posts, the employee—despite being fresh out of college, was leading a project with two other team members. They left the company, which piled on the work for the employee. The Reddit post mentions Rajkiran Panuganti as his boss who kept him loaded with work for 7-8 months until he took that break.
“He (Panuganti) just attends the calls, bashes people left, right and centre and disappears since he lives in the US and most of the workforce is here in Bangalore,” the Reddit post claims. “Having not delivered a single product even after a year of joining Krutrim, he is just taking it all out on people.”
The words used in meetings, especially against freshers, it’s just traumatic, the Reddit post claimed. Even after this incident, there has been no behavioural change in people there.
“As a company, we are heartbroken by this loss. He was a valuable team member, and his absence will be deeply felt by all those who knew and worked with him,” the Krutrim spokesperson told NDTV profit in the email.
“We are extending our full support to his family and our employees during this time of grief. We are also in contact with the relevant authorities.”
