Ola Group has witnessed by a second case of death by suicide in less than six months, this time involving its electric two-wheeler unit.
The Bengaluru police has registered a case against Ola Electric Mobility Ltd.’s founder Bhavish Aggarwal and other senior officials of the company following death by suicide of a 38-year-old employee, who accused them of harassment, PTI reported on Monday (20 October 2025).
The deceased employee has been identified as K. Aravind, who was working as a homologation engineer at the Bengaluru-based electric two-wheeler maker.
Ola Electric Suicide Case: The Complaint
According to the Bengaluru police, K. Aravind brother Ashwin Kannan stated in a complaint that on 28 September, Aravind allegedly attempted suicide at his flat in Chikkalasandra area of the city. He was rushed to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries, despite medical efforts.
A 28-page handwritten note has been recovered from his flat, in which he blamed his superiors for mental harassment and non-payment of salary and allowances, causing him to consume poison.
Citing this death note, Kannan complained that Subrat Kumar Das, head of homologation engineering at Ola Electric, Aggarwal and other company officials had subjected Aravind to “sustained workplace harassment and withheld his salary and dues, causing him severe distress”.
The complaint also mentioned that ₹17.46 lakh was transferred to Aravind’s bank account through NEFT on 30 September, two days after his death, which the family termed as suspicious. When questioned, company representatives allegedly gave “unclear explanations” and appeared to make an attempt to cover up internal lapses, the complaint stated.
Ola Electric Suicide Case: FIR Filed
On 6 October 2025—based on Kannan’s complaint—a case was registered at Subramanyapura Police Station against Das, Aggarwal and others under the Section 108 (Abetment of Suicide) and Section 3(5) (Common Intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Further investigation is underway.
What Ola Electric Said
In a statement, Ola Electric said it has challenged the FIR in the Karnataka High Court, and that protective orders have been passed in favour of the company and its officials.
“We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time,” stated an Ola Electric spokesperson in the statement—a copy of which was shared with Hindustan Times.
Aravind—according to the Ola Electric statement—was an employee of the company for over three-and-half years. During this time, he never raised any complaint or grievance regarding his employment or any harassment. His role did not involve any direct interaction with the company’s top management, including the promoter.
“In order to provide immediate support to the family, the company promptly facilitated the full and final settlement to his bank account,” the company spokesperson said. “Ola Electric is fully cooperating with authorities in their ongoing investigation and remains committed to maintaining a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace for all employees.”
Second Ola Suicide Case In 6 Months
In May, Ola Group had said that an employee at its AI unit Krutrim had died by suicide after Reddit posts claimed that the person too 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 had then 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 Ola 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’s been no behavioural change in people there.
On Monday, Ola Electric shares fell 4.25% to ₹54.80 apiece on the BSE even as the benchmark Sensex ended the day 0.49% higher at 84,363.37 points.