A 25-year-old machine learning engineer working with AI firm Krutrim was found dead in Bengaluru’s Agara Lake. The techie allegedly died by suicide due to extreme work pressure and an abusive manager.
The body of the techie, identified as Nikhil Somwanshi, was found on May 8 and a first information report (FIR) was subsequently filed to look into the matter. The incident gained traction on social media after a Reddit post from a user claiming to be Somwanshi’s colleague went viral.
Commenting on the incident, the company spokesperson told news agency PTI: “We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of one of our most talented young employees, Nikhil (Somwanshi), on the 8th of May. Our thoughts and heartfelt sympathies are with his family, friends, and loved ones during this incredibly difficult time.”
In this post, he described the company’s work environment as being “traumatic”, especially for freshers. The Reddit user claimed that Somwanshi was leading a project with 2 other people despite being a recent graduate.
He said that since the other guys left, Nikhil had been managing their workload as well. The user then went on to talk about Somwanshi’s manager, who, in his words, “has no real clue how to manage people”.
“He just attends the calls, bashes people left, right and centre and disappears since he lives in the US and most workforce is here in Bangalore. The words used in meetings, especially against freshers, it’s just traumatic,” the post read.
As per the company, Somwanshi was on personal leave at the time of the incident.
The company spokesperson further said: “He had reached out to his manager on April 8, expressing that he needed rest, and was promptly granted personal time off. Later, on April 17, he shared that he was feeling better but would benefit from additional rest, and his leave was extended accordingly.”
“As a company, we are heartbroken by this loss. Nikhil was a valued team member, and his absence will be deeply felt by all who knew and worked with him,” the spokesperson added.
As per his LinkedIn profile, Somwanshi developed the Saathi chatbot for his master’s thesis, funded by the Melinda Gates Foundation, in collaboration with IISc Bangalore, Oxford Brookes University, Kotak Mahindra Bank, and Akaike Technologies. It simplifies access to over 200 government schemes in four Indian states, supporting regional dialects and user queries.
