"Getting Hardly Any Sleep, Unable To Eat Proper Food": EY Employee's Father

In a statement issued Thursday the India office of EY, one of the Big 4 consulting firms, expressed sorrow over Ms Perayil's death and offered "deepest condolences to the bereaved family"

Anna Sebastian Perayil - the 26-year-old Ernst and Young employee who died of "work-related stress" - was "getting hardly any sleep and was unable to eat proper food", her father, Sibi Joseph, was quoted by news agency IANS. Mr Joseph said his wife and he had advised Ms Perayil to quit, but "she said she would continue to work... as this is a reputed firm".

Mr Joseph said his daughter - engaged in an audit of Bajaj Auto - would work till well past midnight each day and "used to get back to her paying (guest) accommodation by 1.30 am".

"She used to complain about this often... it reached a point we told her to quit, but she said she would continue to work. In July we took her to a cardiologist and, after a check-up, he said she was healthy but lacked proper sleep and proper food," Mr Joseph told IANS.