Businessman Nikhil Nanda's company Escorts Kubota Limited, has released an official statement after an alleged fraud and abetment to suicide case lodged against him and some other senior officials.
The company released an official statement on Monday, clarifying that it has not received any formal communication from the authorities regarding the matter. They added that their legal team is currently gathering all relevant information and assured that they will fully cooperate with the authorities if required to participate in any inquiry or investigation.
The statement read, "Escorts Kubota Limited has recently become aware of a First Information Report (FIR) filed against certain company officials. As of now the Company has not received any official communication from the authorities regarding this matter. Our legal team is gathering all necessary details and if called upon to participate in any inquiry / investigation, we will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure that the facts are established and the truth prevails."
It continued, "We understand that the FIR also names senior officials of the company. The naming of senior officials appears to be influenced by factors unrelated to the incident. Such allegations are unfounded and the company is keen to ensure that the proper facts are ascertained. We are committed to transparency and would cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough and fair inquiry. The company has full faith in the judicial process."
"We urge all stakeholders and the public to refrain from drawing premature conclusions and to respect the investigative process. The Company operates with the highest level of corporate governance, integrity, transparency and in full compliance with all legal & regulatory requirements, " concluded the statement.
According to a report in ETV Bharat, the Dataganj Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Badaun district have registered a case against Nikhil Nanda along with several officials of a tractor company, on charges of fraud and abetment to suicide.
The website further reports that the case was filed following a court order, naming Nikhil Nanda, who is the company’s CMD, along with the firm’s UP head, area manager, sales manager, Shahjahanpur dealer, and three other officials.
All these officials have been accused of allegedly pushing a tractor agency owner to end his own life.
The complaint has been filed by one Gyanendra, who is a resident of Papad Hamzapur village. His brother Jitendra Singh ran a tractor agency, Jai Kisan Traders, in Dataganj with his co-partner, Lalla Babu. But after Babu was jailed due to a family dispute, Jitendra was left to handle the agency alone.
The ETV Bharat report further mentions that Gyanendra has alleged in his complaint that Nikhil Nanda, along with other company officials Ashish Baliyan (area manager), Sumit Raghav (sales manager), Dinesh Pant (UP head), Pankaj Bhaskar (financier collection officer), Amit Pant (sales manager), Neeraj Mehra (sales head), and Shishant Gupta (Shahjahanpur dealer), repeatedly pressured Jitendra to boost sales.
They also allegedly threatened to revoke his dealership license. And under immense stress, Jitendra reportedly shared his distress with family and friends.
In his complaint Gyanendra has further mentioned that on November 21, 2024, a few company officials visited Jitendra and pressurised him to boost the sale. And the next day, on November 22, Jitendra took his own life.
Jitendra's family alleges that the police failed to take action until the court intervened. Following the court’s order, a case has been registered against all the accused.
The ETV Bharat report further mentioned that Jitendra’s father, Shiv Singh, has said that he was unaware of Nikhil Nanda’s connections. But he feels that the company is responsible for his son's death. "I don't know who he is. We want justice," Shiv Singh said.
Dataganj police station in-charge Gaurav Vishnoi has said that the investigation is underway.
Nikhil Nanda is the son Raj Kapoor's daughter Ritu Nanda. He is married to Shweta Bachchan, daughter of Amitabh Bachchan and Jaya Bachchan. The couple has two kids - Navya Naveli Nanda and Agastya nanda.
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