Pastry death: Nokia not to face charges
By Mahesh Arora

The family of the 22-year old techie, Saurab Sabharwal, who had died of asphyxia while participating in a pastry-eating competition in the cafeteria of his company Nokia-Siemens Networks in Gurgaon, seems to have dropped its earlier passionate decision of prosecuting the company.   Prompt and compassionate actions by Nokia have reduced the anger of the grieving family.

Regular visits by the Nokia officials, including the top notch executives (CEO and HR head pictured in this article) to the Delhi-based house of the techie, and their human face seems to have moved his parents who have not contacted the police officials again even a week after the incident. Saurab was the part of Centralized Solution Support Center (CSSC) team at Nokia Siemens Networks. 

On November 19, when the incident happened, the apparently passionate and grief-struck father RK Sabharwal had alleged company negligence while speaking to media persons and had filed a written complaint with the police officials requesting investigation into the case. He had said that he would decide on prosecuting the company after receiving the post-mortem report.  The police team investigating the incident also has suspended its action for the want of written allegations from the family. The police officials now say that it is not possible to interrogate the company officials unless the relatives of the techie file written allegations. Saurab’s relatives disclosed that his father would faint whenever he would think of his son and was not in position to visit the police station. His mother and 15-year old sister also are in the state of deep shock. The relatives are saying that the company officials had been visiting his house on regular basis ever since the incident happened and expressed their grief..

On November 20 also, the very next day of the incident, the senior company officials including the CEO and HR Head (India) along with the corporate communication head had visited his house where the body of Saurab was first taken there after the post-mortem.  However, describing the incident on the fateful day, Saurab’s colleagues revealed to his family that the pastry-eating competition amongst the employees was aimed at eating maximum number of pastries in one minutes in three rounds. Saurab had finished three pastries in first round. It was in second round when he had finished two more pastries and his third one had chocked his windpipe forcing him to run towards the bathroom where he was later found unconscious.  The relatives said that the pastry-eating competition was preplanned as Saurab had told his mother not to pack his lunch on that day.

When asked about compensation, the relatives said that the aggrieved family had not thought of it yet as for them loss of their young boy Saurab could not be compensated. Raymond Sardanha the HR head (India) of Nokia Siemens Networks who had visited the mortuary where the post-mortem of Saurab was conducted in Gurgaon on November 20 had said that Saurab was a valued member of Centralized Solution Support Center (CSSC) team at Nokia Siemens Networks.  "Immediately after Saurab had taken ill, senior managers from his team accompanied him to the Max hospital, Gurgaon, where, despite the best efforts of medical staff, he was pronounced dead.  The company remains in constant contact with Saurab’s family and is extending all possible support to them," he had said in a formal statement made before the media persons.

(Techgoss had published the following story on Nov 20, 2008)

Police investigate Nokia contest death
By Mahesh Arora

A 22-year old techie, Saurab Sabharwal, employed with Nokia-Siemens Networks in Gurgaon died mysteriously while participating in a pastry-eating competition in the cafeteria of the office premises on November 19. The doctors at the Max Hospital where he was brought dead said that the pastry chocked his windpipe rendering him breathless.

The incident took place at about 1.00 in the afternoon when a number of employees of the company were participating in a pastry-eating competition in the cafeteria. Saurab, who worked as a solution engineer with the company since June this year, was also eating pastry quickly to out-compete others.  All of a sudden he rushed towards the bathroom area and never came back. Coincidentally, one of the colleagues happened to visit the bathroom where he spotted Saurab lying on the floor.  Saurab was rushed to Max Hospital in Sushant Lok at about 2.00 in the afternoon where the doctors tried to revive him, but to no avail. 

RK Sabharwal charged the company officials for negligence saying that they should have arranged for medical experts during the pastry-eating competition which otherwise should not have been organized at all. He said that no one bothered to take care of his son whose windpipe had got chocked during the event. Such competition should not be held at all, he contended.   The distraught father submitted a written compliant with the police officials demanding investigation into the case.   Dr. S Sharma, the medical advisor at Max Hospital, also said that such events of pastry-eating competitions should be avoided in general. 

However, the police officials said that the action against the officials of Nokia-Siemens would be decided only after the receipt of the post-mortem report of Saurab’s body. Saurab lived in Patparganj in New Delhi and his father RK Sabharwal worked with a public sector bank Punjab National Bank in Delhi.  Nokia-Siemens Networks has its corporate office in Cybergreens, DLF Cybercity but has one subsidiary in Udyog Vihar where Saurab was employed as solution engineer.

The company officials who were present at Max Hospital refused to comment on the incident..