Former Bengaluru Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao visited the residence of Aravind Kannan, the Ola Electric employee who died by suicide on September 28, to offer condolences to the family and express solidarity with them. Rao urged a fair and speedy investigation into the case, and called for the need for justice and workplace accountability.
Aravind, who worked as Homologation, Certification & Regulation Manager at Ola Electric Technologies, was found unresponsive at his residence and declared dead at a private hospital, police said. His family later discovered a 28-page note allegedly written by him, in which he accused senior officials of workplace harassment and misconduct. The 38-year-old had been working in the company since 2022.
Following a complaint filed by his brother, Ashwin Kannan, the Subramanyapura police registered an FIR under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) for abetment of suicide against Ola CEO Bhavish Aggarwal, Subrath Kumar Das, who heads Vehicle Homologations and Regulation at Ola, and others.
The complaint also alleged that Rs 17.46 lakh had been transferred to Aravind’s account two days after his death. The family claimed that the transfer was an attempt by the company to “cover up their fault” and said that Ola’s HR department had not provided any explanation regarding the payment.
Ola Electric, meanwhile, stated that Aravind had not raised any complaints during his tenure. “We are deeply saddened by the unfortunate demise of our colleague, Aravind, and our thoughts remain with his family during this difficult time,” an Ola spokesperson said. “Aravind never raised any complaints or grievances regarding his employment or any harassment during his tenure. His role also did not involve any direct interaction with the company’s top management, including the promoter.”
The company said it has challenged the FIR against its executives. The Karnataka High Court issued an interim order directing the Subramanyapura police not to harass Bhavish Aggarwal or Subrath Kumar Das during the ongoing investigation. Justice Mohammad Nawaz, hearing a petition filed by Aggarwal, Das, and Ola Electric Technologies, also directed that notices be issued to the state government and the complainant. The petitioners have sought to quash the FIR and requested that no coercive action be taken against them while the investigation continues.