“The increasing number of young people dying from stress requires our attention

Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar on Thursday expressed concern over stress-related deaths among youth, responding to the recent death of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old chartered accountant employed by Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, who allegedly died due to extreme work pressure.

On X (formerly Twitter), the leader of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) wrote: “I am deeply saddened by the death of a 26-year-old EY employee in Pune. The rising number of stress-related deaths among young people requires our attention. I hope Ernst & Young India will take remedial action.”

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour and Employment Shobha Karandlaje said Sebastian's death was currently being “thoroughly investigated”.

“We are deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to justice and @LabourMinistry has formally taken up the complaint,” the BJP MP wrote on X.

The multinational consulting firm, however, said in a statement that it was in contact with the family.

“We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely death in July 2024,” EY said. EY has been in contact with the family since the death and is helping them, but only now has her family decided to write to the company and complain about the “excessive workload.” EY said it will continue to improve and ensure a healthy workplace in its offices across the country.

“Anna was part of the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a short period of four months and joined the firm on March 18, 2024. That her promising career has ended in this tragic way is an irreparable loss for all of us,” EY said in the statement.

It went on to say that no measure could compensate for the family's loss, but that the company had provided all possible support and would continue to do so.

“We receive the family's correspondence with utmost sincerity and humility. The wellbeing of all employees is of paramount importance to us and we will continue to look for ways to provide and improve a healthy workplace for our 100,000 employees in EY member firms in India,” it added.