'Thorough Investigation Underway': Union Minister Shobha Karandlaje Responds After 26-Year-Old CA At EY Pune Dies From 'Work Stress'

Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, on Thursday, said the death of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, allegedly due to extreme work pressure, was "deeply saddening". The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader added that a "thorough investigation" was underway into the allegations made by Anna's mother Anita Augustine.

Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Karandlaje wrote, "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."

Karandlaje was responding to a post by BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who called the incident "disturbing at many levels" and demanded an investigation. "This is very sad but also disturbing at many levels. I rqst Govt of India @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother of unsafe and exploitative work environment that claimed the life of young, full of future Anna Sebastian Perayil," the former Union Minister wrote.

Meanwhile, EY has issued a statement following Anita's explosive email to the multinational consulting firm's India Chairman Rajiv Memani.

"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.