Bengaluru: A promising engineer’s life cut short. A 28-page suicide note. And now, one of India’s biggest startup founders in legal crosshairs.
Bhavish Aggarwal, the man behind Ola Electric, is facing serious accusations after K. Aravind, a 38-year-old engineer, took his own life last month. Police in Bengaluru have filed charges against Aggarwal and another senior manager, Subrata Kumar Das, for allegedly driving their employee to suicide.
What Happened That Day
September 28 started like any other day in Chikkalasandra, a quiet Bengaluru neighborhood. But by evening, Aravind had consumed poison in his apartment. Friends rushed him to the hospital. Doctors tried everything. Nothing worked.
Aravind had joined Ola Electric back in 2022. His job? Making sure electric scooters met all safety regulations—technical stuff that keeps vehicles legal on Indian roads. Colleagues knew him as dedicated, hardworking. But behind that facade, something was breaking.
The Note That Changed Everything
After Aravind’s death, his family searched his room. They found something shocking—a 28-page handwritten note. Not a quick goodbye. A detailed account of what he claimed was systematic workplace torture.
The note reportedly named names. It talked about endless work pressure. Unpaid salaries. Dues that never came. And two people Aravind blamed for his mental anguish: Das, his direct boss, and Aggarwal himself.
His older brother Ashwin Kannan read those pages and knew he had to act. He went straight to Subramanyapura police station.
The Mysterious Money Transfer
Here’s where things get stranger. Two days after Aravind died—literally the day after his cremation—his bank account suddenly showed ₹17.46 lakh.
Think about that timing. The family says the company hadn’t paid him in months. Then boom—within 48 hours of his death, nearly 18 lakh rupees appear.
When Ashwin asked questions, three HR people showed up at his door. Their explanation? Outstanding salary for 2024-25. But Ashwin wasn’t buying it. “If they hadn’t paid for months, why this sudden rush right after my brother’s cremation?” he asked reporters.
Legal Battle Begins
Police didn’t waste time. On October 6, they filed an FIR. The charges? Abetment of suicide and acting with common intention—serious criminal offenses under India’s new legal code.
Three entities got named: Das, Aggarwal, and Ola Electric as a company.
Ola Electric’s response came swiftly. They expressed sadness but denied everything. According to them, Aravind never complained about harassment. He didn’t even interact with top management directly. The money? Just helping the family out, they claimed.
But they didn’t stop there. Ola Electric lawyered up fast, challenging the FIR in Karnataka High Court. And they got what they wanted—protective orders preventing any immediate action against Aggarwal and Das.
The Bigger Picture
This isn’t happening in isolation. India’s startup world has been under scrutiny lately for toxic work cultures. Long hours. Impossible targets. Mental health taking a backseat to growth metrics.
Just months earlier, another Ola employee at their AI division Krutrim had also died by suicide. That incident sparked angry Reddit posts and workplace culture debates across social media.
Ola Electric itself has been struggling. Sales are down. Competition is brutal. Their stock has tanked about 30% since going public last August. Investors like SoftBank have been selling shares. Regulatory agencies are asking uncomfortable questions.
Does that pressure trickle down to employees? That’s what investigators will try to figure out.
Where Things Stand Now
The investigation continues. Police are examining digital records, internal communications, everything. They want to know if Aravind’s claims in that 28-page note hold water.
Meanwhile, Ola Electric maintains innocence. They say they’re cooperating fully while fighting the case in court.
For Ashwin Kannan and his family, though, no legal victory will bring back his younger brother. They just want answers—and maybe, justice.
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