Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday expressed concerns regarding deaths of youngsters due to stress. He was reacting to the recent demise of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, allegedly due to extreme work pressure.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief wrote, "Very saddened to hear about the death of a 26-year-old employee of EY in Pune. The rising cases of young people dying due to stress need our attention. I hope Ernst & Young India will take corrective steps."
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, stated that a "thorough investigation" was underway into Sebastian's death.
"Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice & @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint," the BJP MP wrote on X.
On the other hand, the multinational consulting firm has issued a statement saying that they are in touch with the family.
"We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024," EY said. Since the death, EY has been in touch with the family, helping them, but it is only now that her family has chosen to write to the company, complaining about the "excessive workload". EY said it would continue to improve and provide a healthy workplace in its offices throughout the country.
"Anna was a part of the Audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us," EY said in the statement.
It went on to state that while no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, the firm has provided all the assistance and will continue to do so.
"We are taking the family's correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India," it added.
