Chandrapur (Maharashtra): Renowned social worker Dr. Sheetal Amte-Karajgi – the grand-daughter of the legendary Baba Amte – committed suicide at the famous Anandwan Ashram here on Monday morning, police said.
As per preliminary information, she reportedly injected herself with some unknown substance, said police official P. Pendarkar from Warora Police Station.
She was rushed to the Warora Rural Hospital nearby where she was pronounced dead, he said, adding further enquiries are underway.
The grand-daughter of the Magsasay Award laureate, Murlidhar D. Amte, alias Baba Amte, Amte-Karajgi was the CEO of Maharogi Sewa Samiti which has done commendable work among leprosy patients in the state and elsewhere.
In her 40s, she is survived by her parents Dr Vikas B. Amte and Dr Bharati V. Amte, besides her husband Gautam and a minor son.
Though the motives behind her actions are not clear, her family issued a joint statement claiming she had been facing “mental tensions and depression” since some time.
The trustees of the 71-year-old MSS – her parents plus Dr. Prakash B. Amte and his wife Dr. Mandakini (both Magsaysay laureates) – also said that Amte-Karajgi had made certain posts on social media which they denied.
The Amtes even issued a joint statement on November 22, saying they wanted to ensure no misconceptions are created on account of her statements pertaining to the MSS, its trustees and employees.
Incidentally, barely hours before she took the extreme step this morning, the multi-faceted Amte-Karajgi had posted a latest painting of hers entitled “War And Peace”.
Three generations of the Amte family are into social work in the far-flung rural and tribal areas of Chandrapur through the Anandwan Ashram and Gadchiroli’s Hemalkasa Ashram, tending to people deprived of medical facilities in the Maoist-infested areas.
