25-year-old techie found dead in India: Toxic workplace under scrutiny

A toxic work environment and a harsh manager are allegedly to blame for the death of 25-year-old Nikhil Somwanshi, a machine learning engineer found dead in Bengaluru’s Agara Lake nearly two weeks ago.

According to NDTV report, anonymous employees on Reddit and in media have claimed that Somwanshi’s manager at Ola’s AI firm Krutrim, Rajkiran Panuganti, fostered a hostile and exploitative workplace.

A Reddit user, ‘Kirgawakutzo,’ alleged that Panuganti used "traumatic" language toward new recruits and created such a toxic atmosphere that multiple team members resigned.

Krutrim confirmed it is cooperating with authorities investigating the case. The company stated that Somwanshi was on leave, which was granted after he requested time off in early April to rest, and his leave was extended as he recuperated.

Reports from Business Standard and Financial Express quoted former Krutrim employees describing Panuganti’s aggressive and demeaning management style, including verbal abuse and belittling of junior staff. One ex-employee said they resigned without another job due to intense work pressure, recalling feelings of suicidal ideation.

This tragic case echoes other recent deaths linked to workplace stress, including Ernst & Young employee Anna Sebastian and a Bajaj Finance worker, both reportedly overwhelmed by job pressure.

Additionally, a young IT engineer in Kerala’s Kottayam district died by suicide amid severe work-related stress and harassment, according to police.