Noida Bank Employee Commits Suicide After Months of Bullying, Harassment at Workplace

Noida: A 27-year-old woman working at a private bank in Ghaziabad has committed suicide at her home, allegedly after enduring six months of intense bullying, body-shaming, and mental torture at her workplace. The deceased identified as Shivani Tyagi was a relationship manager at a Noida-based branch of a private bank. She ended her life at her Ghaziabad home last Friday. An alleged suicide note was recovered from her room, detailing the humiliation she faced. In the note, she named five individuals and sought the death penalty for them.  

The woman, who lived in Ghaziabad and worked at the firm located in Noida, was allegedly being harassed for the past five months, her family claimed. The woman worked as a tele-caller hired by a third party company for the private bank. Both the bank and the third-party employees work out of the same building in Noida where she worked. After the woman killed herself on July 12 allegedly by consuming poison, her brother approached the local Nandgram police station in Ghaziabad where an FIR was lodged under section 108 (abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Speaking to a leading portal, Deputy Commissioner of Police, Ghaziabad, Gyananjay Singh said,"It appears that she was being body-shamed, bullied, and harassed at her workplace."  

Initially, Shivani did not disclose the abuse to her family. However, as the harassment continued, she eventually confided in them about her daily struggles at work. Her brother, Gaurav Tyagi, recounted that a woman colleague often targeted Shivani, commenting on her dressing sense, eating habits, and manner of speaking.

"She was called names and often picked on," Gaurav told TV channel. At one point, this colleague allegedly attacked Shivani, who then slapped her back.

"My younger sister had told the family three-four days before committing suicide that the employees working with her were harassing her physically and mentally for the last five-six months," her brother alleged in the FIR in which he mentioned names of three colleagues, including a woman.

"Being troubled by the actions of these people, my sister consumed poisonous substance on July 12 at around 4.15 pm, after which we went to MMG Hospital, Ghaziabad and she was treated there," he said.

Despite Shivani's repeated attempts to resign, her resignation was consistently rejected by the company, according to her brother. After the slap incident, the company reportedly served Shivani a termination notice, which the family claims was the final straw for her.

Shivani had complained several times about the harassment, but no action was taken, her family alleged. This lack of response from her employers, combined with the ongoing abuse, allegedly forced her to end her life, according to reports.

Noida Employee Suicide Over Harassment At Work Place: Bank Issues Statement

In a statement, the bank said it was "deeply saddened" by the unfortunate incident relating to the executive but clarified that she was not an employee of the bank.

"She was an employee of QUESS Corp limited. From a preliminary review of the incident, we understand that there was a significant disagreement between the executive and another QUESS Corp employee at our Noida Office," the bank said.

"She was under investigation by QUESS Corp and was issued a show-cause notice on July 10 and disciplinary action was taken by QUESS Corp," the bank added

"We are cooperating with the authorities in the investigation into this unfortunate incident. Our Bank has a zero-tolerance policy for any code of conduct violation," it added. 

Note: If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or going through a crisis, Republic TV urges you to reach out to suicide helpline numbers. Below are mental health helpline and suicide prevention contact details.  

AASRA – We’re Here To Help
91-9820466726
Timings: 24*7
Languages: English, Hindi

Sanjeevani (Delhi) 
011 24311918, 011 24318883
Mon-Fri (10am-5.30pm)

Fortis Stress Helpline (Delhi) 
+918376804102
Timing: 24X7