A recent incident in Assam where a reputed physician was humiliated by a magistrate and the subsequent public outcry in his support opened up long-overdue conversations on dignity, abuse, and structural power in the workplace. One supporter aptly noted: “Magistrates may come and go, but a snake-bite specialist is far more indispensable to society.” This article does not dwell on that particular event but instead addresses the broader problem of workplace bullying and psychological abuse driven by power hierarchies.
Power and Abuse: A Psychological Framework
Power can amplify both compassion and cruelty, depending on the individual and the environment. People in leadership often begin to lose their natural empathetic responses, particularly as they move higher in organizational hierarchies. They may begin to feel untouchable, immune to consequences, and in many cases, display traits of narcissism or social dominance orientation (SDO), believing that certain groups inherently deserve to dominate while others are naturally subordinate.
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When such attitudes combine with a toxic organizational culture, bullying doesn’t just occur—it spreads. In such environments, laissez-faire leadership, where authority figures remain passive or disengaged, acts as a catalyst, allowing abusive behaviors to flourish unchecked.
Patterns of Abuse and Psychological Effects
Workplace harassment is rarely isolated; it is chronic, targeted, and often institutionalized. It ranges from verbal insults, exclusion, mockery, and intimidation to physical threats and deliberate withholding of work. The affected employee often becomes submissive to the abuser, creating a power imbalance that reflects classic bullying dynamics.
Research shows that highly empathic individuals—people who are anxious, sensitive, and morally conscientious—are disproportionately targeted. Why? Because bullies seek those less likely to fight back. Victims frequently suffer from depression, insomnia, reduced self-esteem, and job dissatisfaction. In the long term, workplace bullying destroys morale, undermines productivity, and damages institutional credibility. Bullying is rarely a one-time event; rather, it continues for years unless someone intervenes. Unfortunately, many people, including supervisors, ignore the abuse, pretending not to see it. Both men and women can be equally complicit in workplace harassment.
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So why do people bully others at work? Some workplace-related stressors like job insecurity or work overload can trigger it, but these are never valid justifications.
Psychological reasons behind abusive behavior include:
- Dehumanization: People in higher positions often lose empathy for others.
- Reduced accountability: Power gives the illusion of being above rules.
- Narcissism: Many who seek power believe they are exempt from normal codes of conduct.
- Social dominance orientation (SDO): Such individuals believe society should remain hierarchical and feel compelled to dominate others.
- Insecurity in leadership: Those in insecure positions may harass subordinates to reassert control.
When Harassment Turns Fatal: Bullycide
In another recent tragic case from Assam, a female engineer reportedly died by suicide following sustained psychological harassment from her superiors. Should we call it suicide, or more accurately, bullycide?
The term bullycide was first coined by journalists Neil Marr and Tim Field in their 2001 book Bullycide: Death at Playtime. Initially used to describe school bullying-related suicides, it now finds relevance in workplaces dominated by corporate psychopaths and toxic power games. In one such incident, a 27-year-old woman named Shivani, working at a Noida bank, named five colleagues in her suicide note. She wrote of daily humiliation, psychological torment, and relentless disrespect. These are not isolated events. They are systemic.
In bullycide cases, victims endure long-term abuse until they feel emotionally shattered, trapped, and hopeless. When victims raise their voice, institutions often retaliate, creating a climate of fear and complicity. Such dynamics are referred to as institutional betrayal, when systems meant to protect instead side with abusers. Long-term harassment may push the victim into learned helplessness, a state where they no longer believe escape is possible. They give up—not just on the job, but on life itself. While corruption may have played a role in the engineer’s case, we must not ignore the mental harassment inflicted through coercive institutional behavior. From PhD students to corporate workers, many endure these silent traumas without redress.
Structural Solutions and Legal Imperatives
Unlike sexual harassment, which has specific legal safeguards in India under the POSH Act, 2013, there is no comprehensive national law that addresses workplace psychological harassment or bullying. Victims must rely on institutional culture or internal HR policies, which often fail them. In many organizations, the bystander effect ensures that colleagues stay silent out of fear for their own positions. This culture of silence must be challenged.
A few essential steps include:
- A clear, enforceable national anti-bullying law that addresses all forms of workplace abuse.
- Anonymous reporting systems and anti-retaliation protections.
- Mandatory anti-bullying training for HR and leadership teams.
- 24/7 Bullycide Prevention Helplines (via phone and WhatsApp).
- Collaboration with international training bodies, such as workplaceharassment.ca, to introduce best practices in Assam and beyond.
We must raise public consciousness about bullycide. If corporations are granted land and resources, they must also be held accountable for cultivating respectful workplace cultures. If they fail, governments must intervene with policy, training, and enforcement. Ultimately, psychological violence at work is not just an individual issue; it is a social one. The mental trauma of bullying is invisible but deeply scarring. Only when citizens, institutions, and governments come together to confront power abuse will we see lasting change. Let us remember: silence helps the abuser, not the abused. Let us stop being bystanders.
Debanjan Borthakur is a writer, researcher and a part-time teacher at the University of Toronto.