"No way victim shaming was done nor intended": Sitharaman clarifies over her remarks on EY employee death

New Delhi [India], September 23 : Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman clarified after Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi's "victim shaming" allegation over her remarks on the death of a 26-year-old woman Chartered Accountant, Anna Sebastian Perayil, who died due to alleged extreme work pressure at Ernst & Young (EY).
In a post on X, Priyanka Chaturvedi said, "Dear Nirmala Sitaraman ji, Anna had inner strength to handle the stress that came with pursuing a gruelling Chartered Accountancy degree. It was the toxic work culture and long work hours that took away her life, which needs to be addressed. Stop victim shaming and atleast try to be a little sensitive, am sure god will be the guide if you seek."
Replying to this, Union Minister Sitharaman said that she only highlighted the importance of institutions and families to support the children and that in no way victim shaming was done.
"Had referred to this matter in a talk delivered in Tamil at a deemed university on the outskirts of Chennai. Had specifically mentioned that after clearing a demanding and rigorous examination such as CA, the stress on her was unbearable. No names were taken, neither of the lady nor of the firm. The University has set up a Meditation Hall and a place of worship for all its students and faculty. It is in this context that I spoke on how it is necessary to build inner strength for students," she said on X.
"With a sense of grief over the tragic loss, I highlighted the importance of institutions and families to support the children, and in no way victim shaming was done nor intended, even remotely," Sitharaman added.
She also mentioned that the Union Labour Ministry has already assured a thorough investigation into the allegations of an exploitative work environment related to the tragic demise.
The father of EY employee Anna Sebastian Perayil, Sibi Joseph, said on the incident that she had to work late at night, and even after reaching her PG, she had to do additional work.
"She joined there on March 18... After one week, she started the regular auditing. There are 6 audit teams in EY Pune, and she was included in the 6th team. The assistant manager allotted and the Audit Manager reviewed the work... She had to work late into the night... After reaching back to her PG also, she had to do additional work which was not concerned with her work... She was not getting time to sleep and eat. She was stressed and she had work pressure. The manager did not review the work on time, he did it on his schedule... He is a cricket fan, and he changed his schedule according to the match schedule. And because of that, she had to sit late to complete the work assigned to her," Joseph said.
The father also pointed out that Anna used to cry on the phone that she could not work with so much tension and stress.
"We asked her to resign and come back... She decided to continue because she said that she was getting more exposure in EY. Unfortunately, on July 21, she collapsed in her room and died before reaching the hospital... Union Minister Suresh Gopi visited us and said that he will raise the issue in the Parliament," he added.