Following the tragic death of an EY employee, the government intervenes in the debate about unsafe working environments

The tragic death of 26-year-old Ernst and Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian has prompted several politicians in the BJP government to demand action against the toxic work culture. The central government has taken steps to investigate the death of the young EY employee. The Labour Ministry has now taken up the official complaint. Shobha Karandlaje, Minister of State in the Ministry of Labour and Employment, said, “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 taken up the complaint officially. @mansukhmandviya”. Rajeev Chandrasekhar, India's former Minister of Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, took to social media platform X to express the urgency of action on the incident. He wrote, “This is very sad but also disturbing on many levels. I urge the Indian government @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother that an unsafe and exploitative work environment cost the life of young, promising Anna Sebastian Perayil.” The young employee’s death has sparked a wave of reactions on social media, with thousands of users sharing their condolences, horror stories and demands for accountability in corporate environments where long working hours are often normalised and glorified. Many have called for reforms in organisations like EY, including better mental health care, humane working conditions and a reassessment of the pressures on young professionals. EY later issued a statement after the incident came to light. Her mother, Anita Augustine, claimed in a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani that this was her daughter’s first job and she was very excited to join the company. However, within just four months, she succumbed to the “excessive workload”. Responding to this development, EY said in a statement: “We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian's tragic and untimely passing in July 2024 and our deepest condolences go out to the grieving family. 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.”