Ola Electric Mobility Limited has addressed media reports and law enforcement actions linking its chief executive, Bhavish Aggarwal, and another senior official, Subrat Kumar Dash, to the tragic death of an employee, K Aravind, who died by suicide in Bengaluru last month. Following a complaint lodged by Aravind’s brother, the Bengaluru police initiated a case on October 6, 2025, against Aggarwal, Dash, and Ola Electric. The complaint detailed allegations of workplace harassment and financial misconduct, following the discovery of a 28-page handwritten note at Aravind’s home, where he reportedly cited instances of stress and outstanding payments.
The 38-year-old engineer had been part of Ola Electric’s homologation department since 2022 and allegedly ingested poison on September 28, eventually passing away at Maharaja Agrasena Hospital. Initially, police treated the situation as an unnatural death but later reclassified it under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita concerning the abetment of suicide. The family noted a transfer of Rs 17.46 lakh to Aravind’s account just two days posthumously, which they deemed suspicious.
In a regulatory filing on October 21, Ola Electric expressed sympathy for the family and stated that Aravind had not expressed any grievances regarding his employment or working environment during his time with the company. The firm reported that it had promptly processed his final settlement to assist the family and claimed that Aravind’s position did not involve direct interaction with senior management.
Ola Electric also mentioned that the FIR has been legally contested before the Karnataka High Court, which has provided protective measures for its officials, and that the company continues to fully assist with the ongoing inquiry. Ola Electric stressed that no charges have been filed thus far, asserting that this case does not meet the criteria for a material event requiring disclosure under the SEBI’s Listing Obligations and Disclosure Requirements Regulations, 2015. The company indicated that it would keep the exchanges updated as mandated by law.
Additionally, it is noteworthy that a related incident occurred in May when Nikhil Somwanshi, a machine learning engineer at Krutrim, the artificial intelligence (AI) branch of Ola led by Bhavish Aggarwal, also reportedly died by suicide. In response, Ola stated that Somwanshi was on personal leave at the time of that event.
