Rahul Gandhi speaks to Anna Sebastian's parents and promises to fight for justice for her “in a personal capacity”

Congress MP Rahul Gandhi spoke to the parents of Anna Sebastian on Saturday, 21, and expressed his condolences on Anna’s sudden and tragic death.

Gandhi assured them that, in his capacity as leader of the opposition, he would personally fight for this cause.

During his conversation, he praised the family's courage and selflessness in raising their voice on this issue at this extremely difficult moment, in the larger interest of improving working conditions for the millions of skilled workers in India.

He instructed the chairman of the All India Professionals' Congress (AIPC), Praveen Chakravarty, who visited Anna's house, to launch an awareness campaign in her memory for all professionals in India.

As per Rahul's instructions, AIPC will soon set up a helpline to collect information from corporate professionals on issues related to work stress and toxic work culture, a press release said. AIPC will also try to prepare draft guidelines for better working conditions for professionals in the corporate sector.

Following public outrage over the death of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old auditor at Ernst & Young (EY), her father, Sibi Joseph, has revealed previously hidden details of the incident.

He revealed that Anna had previously raised concerns about extreme work pressure with senior EY executives, but claimed that no action had been taken. “She had complained to the deputy manager, but they insisted on working at night too,” he added.

Meanwhile, senior Congressman Shashi Tharoor proposed the introduction of a 40-hour work week.

On his official X-account, Tharoor shed light on the circumstances of Perayil's death, pointing to the “extremely stressful seven-day, 14-hour work weeks” she endured during her brief tenure at the company. He described a “deeply emotional and heartbreaking” conversation with her father, Sibi Joseph, in which they discussed the need for changes to the law to enforce a 40-hour work week across all sectors.

Responding to the growing concern, EY issued a statement expressing sadness over Perayil's “tragic and untimely” death. Rajiv Memani, Chairman, EY India, also commented on the situation, commenting on LinkedIn that the absence of company representatives at the funeral was against their culture.