BENGALURU, Oct 21 — Police have registered a case against Ola Electric founder Bhavish Aggarwal and other senior officials after a 38-year-old engineer with the company died by suicide, allegedly blaming workplace harassment and non-payment of dues in a 28-page note recovered from his residence.
The deceased, identified as K. Aravind, had been working as a Homologation Engineer with Ola Electric since 2022 and was based at the firm’s Koramangala headquarters. According to police, Aravind allegedly attempted suicide on September 28 at his apartment in Chikkalasandra and was rushed to Maharaja Agrasen Hospital, where he succumbed despite medical efforts.
His brother, Ashwin Kannan, lodged a complaint alleging that Aravind’s superiors — including Bhavish Aggarwal and Subrat Kumar Das, Head of Homologation Engineering — had subjected him to “sustained workplace harassment” and “withheld his salary and allowances,” pushing him into deep distress.
The complaint also cited a transaction of ₹17.46 lakh made to Aravind’s account two days after his death, which the family termed “suspicious.” “When questioned, company representatives gave unclear explanations, which appeared to be an attempt to cover up internal lapses,” the FIR stated.
Based on the complaint, police at Subramanyapura station registered a case on October 6 under Sections 108 (abetment of suicide) and 3(5) (common intention) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
In response, Ola Electric said it has challenged the FIR in the Karnataka High Court and obtained protective orders for its officials. “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind. Our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time,” a company spokesperson said in a statement.
The firm added that Aravind had never raised any formal grievance or complaint regarding his employment or harassment and that his role did not involve direct interaction with top management, including the promoter. “To provide immediate support to the family, the company promptly facilitated the full and final settlement to his bank account,” it said.
Ola Electric maintained that it is fully cooperating with police and is “committed to ensuring a safe, respectful, and supportive workplace for all employees.” Police said further investigation is underway.
