Rahul Gandhi assures Anna Sebastian's parents he will fight for her 'in capacity as Leader of Opposition'

Rahul Gandhi spoke to Anna Sebastian's parents via video call arranged by All India Professional's Congress chairman Praveen Chakravarty. (Courtesy: PTI file photo)

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi reached out to the grieving family of Anna Sebastian Perayil, a 26-year-old chartered accountant who allegedly died due to heavy work pressure, and offered his condolences and support.

Gandhi spoke to Anna Sebastian's parents via video call arranged by All India Professional's Congress chairman Praveen Chakravarty during his visit to their residence in Kochi on September 21, the All India Congress Committee (Professionals' Congress) said in a release.

During the interaction, Rahul Gandhi lauded the family's "courage and selflessness" to speak up during this difficult moment to address larger concerns of working conditions, the AIPC added in the release.

Gandhi also assured the family that he would "personally fight for this cause in his capacity as the Leader of the Opposition".

He asked AIPC Chairman Chakravarty to launch an awareness movement in Anna's memory for all working professionals in India.

Based on his instructions, AIPC is slated to announce a helpline soon to collect information from corporate professionals about issues related to work stress. Following this, the AIPC will also seek to come up with draft guidelines for better working conditions for professionals in the corporate sector.

Anna Sebastian, a chartered accountant who worked at Ernst & Young (EY), reportedly died of extreme work pressure. The Labour Ministry has initiated an investigation into her death and Union Minister of State for Labour Shobha Karandlaje assured that the government has taken up the complaint and is committed to ensuring justice.

"Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Anna Sebastian Perayil. A thorough investigation into the allegations of an unsafe and exploitative work environment is underway. We are committed to ensuring justice & @LabourMinistry has officially taken up the complaint. @mansukhmandviya," Karandlaje said in a post on X.

EY India also issued a statement condoling Anna Sebastian's death and vowed to address her family's concerns with "utmost seriousness and humility".

"Anna was a part of the Audit team at SR Batliboi, a member firm of EY Global, in Pune for a brief period of four months, joining the firm on 18 March 2024. That her promising career was cut short in this tragic manner is an irreparable loss for all of us. While no measure can compensate for the loss experienced by the family, we have provided all the assistance as we always do in such times of distress and will continue to do so," the EY statement said.

EY India chairman Rajiv Memani also condoled her death and shared his "deepest regret for their (her family's) irreparable loss".

"Though no words can comfort a grieving family, I have personally expressed my condolences and have shared my deepest regret for their irreparable loss. I received an anguished e-mail from Anna's mother and have taken note of her message with utmost seriousness and humility," Memani said in a leaked letter to employees.

"I would like to reaffirm to all of you that our firm places the highest importance on the health and well-being of our people, and we will recommit ourselves to providing a supportive, healthy, and balanced work environment to you all," he added.