Young AI Engineer Found Dead in Bengaluru, Allegations of Toxic Work Culture Surface

Pratiksha Ghosh 

Bengaluru, May 19 ,2025:The body of 25-year-old Nikhil Somwanshi, a machine learning engineer at Krutrim, Ola’s artificial intelligence venture, was found in Agara Lake, Bengaluru, on May 8—nearly two weeks after his reported death. Amid the discovery, serious concerns about toxic workplace practices at Krutrim have come to light, with many alleging that the young engineer died by suicide due to extreme work-related stress.

Somwanshi joined Krutrim in August 2024 after completing his master degree from the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bengaluru, where he graduated with an impressive GPA of 9.30. During his time at IISc, he worked on an advanced AI chatbot project—based on large language models and retrieval-augmented generation—titled "Sathi," which was backed by the Melinda Gates Foundation.

Online forums, especially Reddit, have since been flooded with posts suggesting that Somwanshi was under intense mental stress, reportedly due to the behavior of his manager. A Reddit user, posting under the handle Kirgawakutzo, accused U.S.-based manager Rajkiran Panuganti of fostering a harmful and psychologically unsafe workplace, alleging verbal abuse and erratic behavior that drove multiple employees to resign.

Media outlets including the Financial Express and Business Standard have also reported this type of disturbing testimonials from current and former Krutrim staff. One employee described frequent instances of verbal outbursts during meetings, while another claimed they resigned without another job offer due to unbearable pressure that led them to experience suicidal thoughts.

Krutrim has responded by expressing deep sorrow over Somwanshi’s death, stating that they are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation. The company noted that Somwanshi had been on leave during the period leading up to his death. 

According to the company, “He initially requested leave to his manager on April 8 due to fatigue, which was granted immediately. Further ,On April 17, Mr Nikhil reportedly informed his manager that he was feeling better but needed additional rest, which was also approved.”

Despite the company’s statement, further Reddit posts allege that toxic managerial conduct continued even after the news of Somwanshi’s death became known within the organization.

An FIR has been filed, and investigations into the circumstances surrounding Somwanshi’s death—and the workplace allegations—are ongoing.