Bhavish Aggarwal Booked After Ola Engineer Dies By Suicide; Company Challenges FIR
Ola said it has challenged the FIR against its founder and others before the Karnataka High Court.
Ola Electric Mobility Ltd. founder and CEO Bhavish Aggarwal has been booked by the Bengaluru police after a 38-year-old engineer died by suicide and accussed the entrepreneur of mental harassment and financial exploitation, as per reports.
The company said that the engineer, identified as K Aravind, never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or harassment.
According to officials, K Aravind, who had been working as a homologation engineer since 2022 at Ola, took poison on Sept. 28 at his residence in Bengaluru's Chikkalasandra, NDTV reported. His friends found him in distress and immediately rushed him to the Maharaja Agrasena Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. He died the same day.
The police have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), officials said.
Alleged Harassment, Suspicious Bank Transfer
Aravind's brother found a 28-page note addressed to him, in which the Ola engineer accused Subrat Kumar Das and Bhavish Aggarwal of workplace harassment and pressure. The note said that Aravind was mentally tortured and denied his salary and allowances, which ultimately drove him to kill himself, as per NDTV.
According to Aravind's brother, a suspicious bank transfer of Rs 17,46,313 was made to his account via NEFT two days after his death. When the brother approached Ola for clarification about the transaction, Das allegedly gave vague responses, he said.
Later, Ola representatives Kratesh Desai, Paramesh, and Roshan visited Aravind's residence but did not provide any consistent information regarding the financial transfer, raising doubts among his family members about the company's intentions, officials said.
Based on Aravind's brother's complaint, the police filed a case against Bhavish Aggarwal, Das, and others on Oct. 6.
The FIR alleges that constant harassment, humiliation, and financial exploitation by his superiors were directly responsible for Aravind's death. His family urged the police to initiate legal proceedings against the accused officials, including Das and Aggarwal, holding them accountable for abetment to suicide.
Ola Challenges FIR
"We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time," Ola said in a statement.
"Aravind had been associated with Ola Electric for over three and a half years and was based at our headquarters in Bangalore. 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," it said.
Ola also said it has challenged the FIR against its founder and others before the Karnataka High Court.
"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's spokesperson said.
