A year since Anna’s tragic death from work pressure

KOCHI: It has been a year since Sibi Joseph and Anitha Augustin from Kangarappady, Thrikkakara, lost their only daughter, Anna Sebastian. On July 20 last year, Anna (26), who had been working at a multinational company, collapsed and died due to extreme job-related stress. She had passed her Chartered Accountancy exams with distinction and had joined Ernst & Young (EY) in Pune, which was her dream job. Just four months into the job, her life was tragically cut short.

Anna’s death sparked national debate about workplace pressure and mental health. However, despite several promises from the government, the Human Rights Commission, and EY, her parents say no real action has been taken.

Today marks Anna’s first death anniversary. A memorial mass will be held at 4 PM at St. Martin de Porres Church, Thevakkal, followed by a remembrance meeting at Bharata Mata College, Thrikkakara, at 6 PM.

The issue gained public attention after Anna’s mother wrote a letter to EY India Chairman Rajiv Memani, which was widely reported in national media. The campaign “For Anna, For All”, led by the Professional Congress, aims to fight for safer workplaces. Anna’s parents attended the campaign launch in Thiruvananthapuram. MP A.A. Rahim has assured the family that the matter will be raised at the DYFI youth convention in Delhi today.

No progress yet

• Two senior staff members who allegedly caused Anna stress were said to be removed from their posts but are still working in the same office.
• Union Labour Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had announced an inquiry, but the family says they have not been informed of any findings.
• The National Human Rights Commission had also sent a notice to the Labour Ministry, but the family hasn’t received any updates.
• Just last month, another tech worker, Nikhil Somavanshi, died by suicide in Bengaluru, reportedly due to job pressure.

“Life feels empty without her. We hoped Anna’s story would lead to real change. We don’t want any other family to go through what we did,” said her father, Sibi Joseph.