Delhi CEO recalls employee’s death, says ‘I remain guilty even today’: ‘He was not murdered…’ | Today’s news
A Delhi-based businessman’s candid LinkedIn post about the death of a young employee nearly 10 years ago resonated widely on social media, with users applauding his candid admission that he still feels guilty about the incident.
Vivek Mehra, founder and CEO of Vikramshila Research, revisited the tragedy in a post to mark the anniversary of the employee’s death. Mehra said the incident happened when he was serving as CEO of Sage Publishing and shared a photo of the young employee, saying he could never forget him.
“Do you know who this young boy is? Chances are you don’t. On this day many years ago, this person died. He didn’t die in an accident. He wasn’t murdered. He died because he lived alone, got sick and couldn’t get medical help in time,” Mehra wrote.
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Reflecting on the incident, he added, “It happened on my watch as the CEO of the company he worked for.”
According to Mehra, the employee was the only son of a widowed mother and had moved from a small town to Dehradun in search of employment.
“The guilt has not diminished”
Mehra said the employee’s absence initially went unnoticed and when colleagues started looking for him, it was too late.
“No one missed him for many days when he didn’t report to work. No one checked on him. But when HR asked around, it was too late,” he wrote.
The founder said he was deeply affected by the incident and continues to weigh on his conscience. He recalled sending an employee’s mother a compensation check explaining that her son had died while employed by the company. But she refused to accept it.
“I was devastated because I am still guilty today. I sent his grieving mother a compensation check because he died while working for the company. She refused. The guilt didn’t lessen,” Mehra wrote.
He called the incident one of the defining lessons of his career and said he had never publicly shared a photo of or talked about an employee in the past decade.
“It was a lesson I haven’t forgotten and it’s been almost a decade. I haven’t posted a picture of him or written about him in all these years. But this morning I was wondering how many people remembered him. If so, please send me his name,” he added.
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Mehra ended his post by writing, “I haven’t forgotten him. Bless you wherever you are, you young soul who still haunts me.”
The post prompted responses from several former colleagues who identified the employee as Tanay Negi, a member of the Journals Production team.
One former colleague also clarified that Negi was not completely alone during his illness and shared more details about the events leading up to his death.
“Tanay Negi- was a part of the Journals Production team. I would like to add one important correction, his supervisor, our entire team and I were with him from the very beginning. He was checked regularly, taken to the hospital without delay and at no point was he alone in Dehradun,” the user wrote.
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“Time flies but I still remember meeting him just 15 minutes before the plug was pulled. Some memories never leave you,” he added in the comment.
A former colleague also said the tragedy prompted significant changes in the organization, including mandatory health checks and a greater emphasis on employee wellbeing, work-life balance and healthier living.
Social media users react:
Mehr’s post received widespread praise from LinkedIn users, many of whom praised him for openly acknowledging the tragedy and emphasizing the importance of prioritizing employee welfare.
“I admire your compassion and your commitment to the well-being of employees. This is even more important today when changes in the workplace and society are contributing to an increased incidence of mental breakdowns, withdrawals and depression. We need more corporate leaders like you. The government should also step up their act in proactively dealing with cases like this,” one user commented.
Another wrote: “Truly admirable! The way you shared this incident really reflects what true leadership looks like. Employee wellbeing is extremely important these days, especially as cases of stress, depression and mental health issues continue to rise. Every company deserves leaders like you who build this culture not just to show it off, but to honestly practice it every day.”
