Sheetal Amte-Karajgi, the granddaughter of social worker Baba Amte was found dead at her residence in Anandwan, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra. There was a family feud going on, which was reported resolved. 39-year-old Sheetal Amte, doctor and CEO of Maharogi Seva Samiti (MSS), a social service organization founded by Baba Amtre, allegedly took her life on Monday. The police have not confirmed the cause of death, but some local reports are suggesting that she injected herself a lethal dose. Her body was taken to Chandrapura for post-mortem.
Maharashtra: Granddaughter of social worker Late #BabaAmte & Chief Executive Officer of Maharogi Seva Samiti, Dr. #SheetalAmte commits suicide at her residence in Warora, Chandrapur. pic.twitter.com/Q5vlW75RHs
— All India Radio News (@airnewsalerts) November 30, 2020
Allegations of mismanagement in MSS
Recently, Sheetal had posted a video on Facebook alleging irregularities in MSS trust. She raised allegations against her family members, who are trustees of the organizations and other activists associated with it. The video was removed from Facebook within two hours.
The family claimed Sheetal is suffering from stress and depression
Denying the allegations, Sheetal’s parents, uncle, and aunt issued a statement that she is suffering from mental stress and depression. They said, “Maharogi Seva Samiti, Warora is a leading social service organisation in the country. It provided direction and inspiration for the development of the deprived. Lakhs of social activists were trained here. Three generations of Amtes are deeply involved in this work.”
They further added that Sheetal has contributed to the work done by the organization. However, she is facing mental stress and depression. “While admitting it in her social media posts, she made inappropriate statements about the work, trustees, and workers of Maharogi Seva Samiti.
All her comments are baseless. The Amte family is issuing this statement after mutual discussions to prevent any likely misunderstanding caused by Sheetal’s allegations,” the statement added.
‘War and Peace’ – the last tweet before death
Hours before allegedly committing suicide, Dr Sheetal had posted a cryptic message on Twitter. She posted an abstract painting with the caption “War and Peace.” Though she regularly posted paintings made by her on social media, the last post’s timing has raised suspicions.
Baba Amte, the social worker
Baba Amte, a recipient of the Ramon Magsaysay Award and Padma Vibhushan, was a renowned social worker. He was often called the modern Gandhi of India. He was known for his work for the people suffering from leprosy, which he carried out at Anandwan, an asylum for such patients. I was founded in 1959 and currently being administered by MSS. Baba Amte died in 2008. Vikas Amte and Sheetal Karajgi were appointed as secretary and Chief Executive Officer for the organization respectively three years ago. In 2016, Sheetal had received the Young Global Leader’ award from the World Economic Forum.