No ‘victim shaming’ intended: FM Nirmala Sitharaman Clears the Air on EY Employee Death Accusation

Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman responding to the accusations of “ victim shaming”  concerning the death of a 26 year old chartered accountant Anna Sebastian Perayil, who reportedly died due to severe work stress at Ernst & Young ( EY ), clarified that “ in no way victim shaming was done nor intended, even remotely.”

Nirmala Sitharaman stated this in response to the allegation of opposition MP Priyaka Chaturvedi condemning the finance minister’s statement.

The Union finance minister while speaking at an event organized in a private college called upon the educational institutions to give stress management lessons to its students to develop ‘ inner strength.’ She also stated that this could be attained only if students put faith in God.

Become a PF & ESIC expert with our comprehensive course – Enroll Now

In her speech Nirmala said “Families should teach that no matter what you study and how far you go in life, you should have the inner strength from within to handle stress. That can only be attained if they put their faith in God. ”

Finance minister stated that the women who had studied  CA well was unable to cope with work pressure and died due to intense work strain. Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi criticized the FM for her remark and asserted that the EY employee had inner strength but the toxic work culture was what led to her death.

Shiv Sena MP  tweeted that the toxic work culture that claimed Anna’s life had prolonged work hours and hostile work environment, which should be addressed. And the FM should stop victim shaming and try to be a little sensitive.

Read More

EY responds to Demise of Young CA Employee

Responding to the tweet Union Finance Minister cleared the air and mentioned that she in no way intended to shame the victim and had spoken in the context of building inner strength for students. And had only intended to highlight the importance of institutions and families to support their children.

Check out additional information

“I worked in EY Pune. Could not survive for more than 2 months. The 2nd suicide is a no surprise”, says Ex-EY Employee on Reddit

Support our journalism by subscribing to Taxscan premium. Follow us on Telegram for quick updates