Union Minister of State, Shobha Karandlaje, announced on Thursday that the labour ministry is investigating the death of 26-year-old Ernst & Young (EY) employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, following a complaint. Perayil, a chartered accountant from Kerala, reportedly died due to work-related stress, as claimed by her mother in an email to EY India’s chairman, Rajiv Memani.
“Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice, and @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint,” the minister for micro, small and medium enterprises, as well as labour and employment, posted on X.
Karandlaje was responding to a post by Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar, who expressed his sorrow and concern over the death, calling it “disturbing at many levels.” He urged the government to investigate the family’s claims about an exploitative work environment at EY India.
“This is very sad but also disturbing at many levels. I request the Government of India @mansukhmandviya @ShobhaBJP to investigate these allegations made by the mother of unsafe and exploitative work environment that claimed the life of young, full of future Anna Sebastian,” Chandrasekhar posted.
Perayil, who passed her CA exams in 2023, had been working at EY’s Pune office for four months before her death. Her mother, Anita Augustine, recently wrote to Rajiv Memani, criticizing the “glorification” of overwork at the firm.
In a statement on Wednesday, EY expressed deep sadness over Perayil’s passing in July 2024. The company stated that it has been in contact with the family since the incident and has offered assistance. However, the family recently raised concerns about the “excessive workload.”
EY pledged to continue its efforts to improve the workplace environment across its offices in India. “Anna was part of the Audit team at S R Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us,” the firm said.
While acknowledging that nothing could compensate for the family’s loss, EY reaffirmed its commitment to providing support. “We are taking the family’s correspondence with the utmost seriousness and humility. We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and ensure a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India,” the statement added.
