Software Engineer Electrocutes Himself Due To Work Pressure (image: Unsplash @Sergey Zolkin)
A 38-year-old software engineer wrapped himself with a live power and self-electrocuted while he was alone at his house. The incident happened in Thazhambur of Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR) on Thursday night. The victim Karthikeyan’s wife, who returned home from temple, found him lying unconscious with wires wrapped around him, said police.
Karthikeyan is a native of Theni, and had been employed at a software firm in Pallavaram for the past 15 years. He lived with his wife, K Jayarani, and their two children, aged 10 and 8 years.
Police said he complained of depression due to work pressure and was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Medavakkam for the past two months.
Jayarani left for Thirunallaru temple with her friends from the self-help group on Monday. She had left her children with her mother, leaving Karthikeyan alone at home. When she returned on Thursday night, she found the door locked from the inside.
Also Read: “EY’s Callous Attitude”: Mother Of CA Anna Sebastian Perayil Who Died Allegedly Due To Work Pressure
When the door was not opened even after knocking repeatedly, she opened it with alternate keys, only to find her husband lying unconscious.
He had put on undergarments and had wrapped his entire body with a power cable, which was connected to a main junction box in the hall.
Panicked Jayarani alerted the neighbours, who informed Thazhambur police. The police secured his body and sent it for post-mortem to Chromepet govt hospital. Police have registered a case of unnatural death and probes are underway on if there are other reasons behind his extreme step.
The incident comes amidst flurry of complaints of work pressure the employees go through in corporate culture. After the death of Anna Sebastian, 26, allegedly due to the relentless work pressure she endured at Ernst & Young (EY) India. Anna, a promising young Chartered Accountant, joined EY Pune in March 2024. After only four months with the firm, she tragically passed away.
Also Read: After Anna Sebastian Perayil’s Story Goes Viral, Corporate Work Culture In The Spotlight
Anna’s death has opened up the floodgates as employees across India have come forward recounting their experiences, highlighting the often exploitative environment prevalent in big corporate firms in India.
As the shockwaves resound within the Indian work space, several people took to social media over the ‘Big 4 culture.’ Big 4 here means Deloitte, EY, KPMG and PwC, four top consulting firms in India.
Among the flurry of social media posts recounting why they quit certains firms, or how extreme they are working currently, one user recounted a similar case like Anna’s where a deputy manager by the name of Jigar Joshi passed away at his desk in June 2022 while working at Deloitte. Stating that Anna’s case is not isolated, the user said, “The cause of death was stress, anxiety and lack of sleep. This news was not widely known even within Deloitte office”.
Jigar Joshi, was a deputy manager with Deloitte in June 202.
He passed away at his desk. He was in his mid 20s. The cause of death was stress, anxiety and lack of sleep.
This news was not widely known even within Deloitte office.
Anna’s case in EY Pune is not isolated.
— Easy Rider (@Koushik_laribee) September 18, 2024
(With inputs from agencies)
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