‘Being pressurised to meet targets at any cost, I am leaving’: Bajaj Finance employee dies by suicide, leaves note blaming work stress

A couple of days back, EY employee Anna Sebastian Perayil’s death had left the entire nation shocked. The 26-year-old’s mother had blamed work stress for her death. The incident reignited debates about the importance of work-life balance and people took to social media to react to the incident. Now, yet another tragic incident has unfolded in Jhansi.

42-year-old Bajaj Finance employee dies by suicide

A 42-year-old area manager, employed by Bajaj Finance, was found dead in his home on Sunday morning. According to a PTI report, the employee, named Tarun Saxena, ended his life by hanging, leaving behind a suicide note in which he alleged severe work pressure and mental harassment by his superiors.

Tarun Saxena’s body was discovered by his housekeeper, who immediately alerted his family. The local police, as per a ET report, confirmed the recovery of a suicide note, which contains accusations against his senior colleagues.

What was in the suicide note?

In the letter, Saxena revealed he was facing immense pressure to meet recovery targets, stating that his seniors had threatened him with salary deductions and the possibility of losing his job if he failed to achieve the required quotas.


According to Saxena’s note, the pressure to meet unrealistic targets had left him mentally and physically drained. “I have not slept for 45 days. I have hardly eaten. I am under a lot of stress. Senior managers are pressuring me to meet targets at any cost or quit,” Saxena wrote in his final letter. He also mentioned that employees were forced to cover missed loan payments from their own pockets, adding to the financial burden.

I am very tense about the future. I have lost my ability to think. I am going”, the suicide note added as per NDTV.

Saxena reportedly also named his superiors in the note and urged his family to file a police complaint against them, holding them responsible for his death. His family, still grappling with the loss, has yet to lodge an official complaint with the authorities. However, the local police have assured that an investigation will be conducted if a formal complaint is registered.

Superintendent of Police Gyanendra Kumar Singh confirmed that a post-mortem has been ordered, and the police are prepared to take action pending further developments.

Tarun Saxena’s death sheds light on the growing issue of workplace stress and its tragic consequences. Bajaj Finance, at the centre of the allegations, is yet to issue a formal statement regarding the incident.

“He was mentally tortured,” says cousin

The 42-year-old’s cousin, Gaurav Saxena, corroborated his late brother’s claims. He said that a virtual conference that was held on Sunday morning, involving senior managers, further pushed his cousin to the breaking point. Gaurav also alleged that during the call, abusive language was used, and his cousin was humiliated over his inability to meet the stringent recovery demands.

"In the morning, he was mentally tortured by his regional manager Prabhakar Mishra and national manager Vaibhav Saxena. Abuses were also hurled at him during a conference, which was held virtually. He was quite frustrated since that (Saturday) night, following which he took the extreme step (on Sunday),” Gaurav said as per a report in PTI.

He added, ”He was told that in case of non-fulfilment of the target, he would have to pay from his own pocket. He was assigned areas like Moth and Talbehat for collection, which are rural areas.”

(With PTI inputs)