Bengaluru Ola Engineer Dies By Suicide, Case Filed Against Bhavish Aggarwal

A 38-year-old engineer employed with Ola Electrics died by suicide, leaving behind a 28-page handwritten note - accusing his superiors, including Ola founder Bhavish Aggarwal, of mental harassment and financial exploitation.

Ola, however, in a statement, 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, consumed poison on September 28 at his residence in Bengaluru's Chikkalasandra. His friends found him in distress and immediately rushed him to the Maharaja Agrasena Hospital, where he was undergoing treatment. However, he died the same day.

The police have registered an Unnatural Death Report (UDR), officials said.

Shortly after Aravind's death, his 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.

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, three representatives of the company - 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 October 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.

What Ola said

Ola released a statement today and condoled the death of its employee.

"We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time. 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.

The company 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.