Interview Times 
BHUBANESWAR: The tragic death of Anna Sebastian, a 26-year-old Chartered Accountant employed at Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, has raised serious concerns about the impact of work-related stress on young professionals. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar expressed his sadness over the incident and highlighted the increasing number of stress-related deaths among the youth.
Taking to social media platform X (formerly known as Twitter), Ajit Pawar, who is also the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief, wrote, “Very saddened to hear about the death of a 26-year-old employee of EY in Pune. The rising cases of young people dying due to stress need our attention. I hope Ernst & Young India will take corrective steps.”
Anna Sebastian, who had been working with the audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global in Pune, for just four months, reportedly passed away in July 2024. Her family recently alleged that extreme work pressure led to her untimely demise, sparking widespread attention and concerns about workplace culture.
Union Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Labour & Employment, Shobha Karandlaje, also weighed in on the issue. In her statement, Karandlaje expressed her deep sorrow over Anna Sebastian’s passing and assured that the Ministry of Labour had launched a thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe work environment. She emphasized that justice would be served and that the Labour Ministry had officially taken up the complaint.
“We are committed to ensuring justice,” she tweeted, adding that a detailed probe into the matter was already underway.
In response to the allegations, Ernst & Young issued an official statement expressing grief over the loss of their employee. “We are deeply saddened by Anna Sebastian’s tragic and untimely passing in July 2024,” the company said. EY has been in contact with Anna’s family since her death, offering support and assistance. The firm acknowledged receiving a formal complaint from the family regarding the excessive workload that allegedly contributed to Anna’s demise.
EY reiterated its commitment to maintaining a healthy workplace for its employees across India. “We place the highest importance on the well-being of all employees and will continue to find ways to improve and provide a healthy workplace for our 100,000 people across EY member firms in India,” the statement added.
