OLA Techie Dies by Suicide in Bengaluru, Social Media Alleges Toxic Workplace at Krutrim
OLA Techie Dies by Suicide in Bengaluru, Social Media Alleges Toxic Workplace at Krutrim
Bengaluru: A young engineer working at Krutrim, the artificial intelligence arm of Ola, died by suicide on May 8, reportedly after months of overwhelming work pressure. The incident has sparked a wave of outrage on social media, with several users calling out the company’s alleged toxic work culture.
The engineer, Nikhil Somwanshi, was a recent postgraduate from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, and had joined Krutrim less than a year ago. Known for his academic brilliance, Nikhil had scored a GPA of 9.30 and had worked on an AI chatbot project funded by the Melinda Gates Foundation as part of his thesis.
According to a viral Reddit post, Nikhil was thrust into a leadership role despite being a fresher and was assigned the work of three people after two of his colleagues resigned. The post, shared by a user named ‘Kirigawakazuto’, claimed that the work environment at Krutrim was “deeply distressing,” particularly for new recruits.
The post also singled out Nikhil’s manager, Rajkiran Panuganti, who is based in the United States. It alleged that he often “scolded employees harshly during meetings and then vanished without addressing concerns,” creating a hostile environment for those under him. The user added that Panuganti routinely vented his personal frustrations on the team, especially targeting junior employees, and lacked basic people management skills.
The Reddit post further claimed that even after Nikhil’s death, there had been no improvement in the company’s behavior. Employees were reportedly instructed not to discuss the incident internally or with the media, and the situation within the company was described as “miserable.”
Speaking to Financial Express, a former colleague of Nikhil echoed the allegations. The ex-employee confirmed that Panuganti’s treatment of employees was unprofessional and that Krutrim had warned current staff not to speak to the press or police about the incident.
In response to the mounting criticism, Krutrim released a statement expressing its grief over the loss. “We are devastated by the loss of one of our most promising young team members, Nikhil, who passed away on May 8. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all who worked with him during this incredibly difficult time,” the company said.
Krutrim, however, denied that work pressure was to blame. According to the official statement shared with India Today, Nikhil was on personal leave at the time of the incident. The company explained that he had reached out to his manager on April 8 requesting some time off to rest, which was granted. On April 17, he informed the team that he was feeling slightly better but would prefer additional time away from work. His leave was extended accordingly.
“Nikhil had requested personal leave, which was approved promptly. He later asked for an extension, stating he still needed rest. We fully supported him in taking this time,” the statement said. The company added, “Nikhil was a cherished team member, and we are offering every possible support to his family and our employees. We’re also cooperating with relevant authorities.”
Nikhil’s professional profile shows that he joined Krutrim in August last year as a Machine Learning Engineer. He had experience in working with large language models and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) systems—areas considered cutting-edge in AI development.
The tragic news, coupled with the Reddit revelations, has triggered a massive backlash online, with users calling for a deeper probe into Krutrim’s work culture. Many are demanding accountability, questioning how a high-performing young engineer could be pushed to such a devastating decision.
