Chandrapur: Dr Sheetal Amte, daughter of Vikas Amte and granddaughter of famous social worker Baba Amte was found dead in suspicious circumstances.
As per preliminary information, she reportedly injected herself and ended her life this morning, said a police official P. Pendarkar from Warora Police Station.
She was rushed to the Warora Rural Hospital nearby further enquiries are underway, said Pendarkar.
The granddaughter of the Magsaway laureate, Murlidhar D. Amte, alias Baba Amte, Dr Sheetal Amte-Karajki was the CEO of Maharogi Sewa Samiti which has done commendable work among leprosy patients. Social circles have been shaken after this shocking incident. She was 39 years old. She is survived by her husband Gautam Karjagi and 5-year-old son Sharvil, Amte family and a large Anandvan family.
Sheetal Amte was currently in charge of Anandvan. Baba Amte's third-generation leadership was in her hands. The Amte family had been embroiled in internal strife for the past few months. News of her suicide has surfaced today as the strained relationships in the family continue.
Family quarrels on social media
A few days ago, Sheetal Amte shared a video on social media, wherein, she had levelled allegations against the trustees and activists of the leprosy service committee, causing a huge stir. The video brought the controversy in Anandvan to the fore. Dr Sheetal Amte eventually withdrew the video after some time due to pressure. Afterwards, Dr Vikas Amte, Prakash Amte, Manda Amte and Bharti Amte came together and issued a joint statement refuting the allegations made by Sheetal Amte. It is said that she was very upset following the incident and is said to have been undergoing treatment for her disturbed mental health after the incident.
Won numerous awards
Sheetal was selected as the 'Young Global Leader' by the World Economic Forum in March 2016 for her work under the age of forty. In April 2016, she was selected by the United Nations as the Innovation Ambassador. She was also contributing to the World Economic Forum as an Expert Network on Humanitarian Response. She was also an active participant in SABI.
Single-handedly managed Anandvan
Baba Amte's third-generation leader, Dr Sheetal Amte was in charge of the entire Anandvan. Dr Sheetal Amte, who carried on the legacy of her grandfather studied MBBS from Government Medical College, Nagpur in 2003. She completed the course on Social Entrepreneurship as well. In addition to this, she also studied Financial Management. She managed the financial planning of Hemalkasa, Anandvan and Somnath.
How did she begin work?
It was Dr Sheetal Amte's ambition to make Kamanandavan a smart village. The idea behind this was to make Smart Villages by enabling technically, economically and socially backward villages. She worked a lot to bring young people from the medical field to do social work. She had started a centre called Nijbal in 2015. The aim was to make citizens with disabilities self-reliant and conduct training programs. She also overlooked the work of Anand Mukbadhir Vidyalaya and Anand Andh Vidyalaya. Her emphasis was on social entrepreneurship while offering medical service.
Worked as a Covid warrior
Responding to the challenge by Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray, Dr Sheetal Amte had participated in the online training started by the state government. She was working as a Covid warrior and was guiding others to do the same. Even before the government announced the lockdown, they had implemented measures in Anandvan.
Amte was married to engineer Gautam Karjagi
Sheetal was married to engineer and management expert Gautam Karjagi on October 25, 2007. He is a trustee of the Leprosy Services Committee in Warora and oversees the management and Anandvan Smart Village project. They have a 5-year-old son, Sharvile.
Anandvan was established by Baba Amte
Anandvan was established by famous social worker Baba Amte and his wife Sadhana Amte near Warora in Chandrapur district. In 1949, he established an ashram. Due to this ashram, the lepers who were rejected by the society got the rightful shelter. Baba Amte served them wholeheartedly and gave them a new hope of survival. He also made sure they stood on their feet. He made the ashram self-sufficient. Baba and Sadhanatai's hard work made Anandvan stand out. Seeing the work in Anandvan, the donors started pouring in help. After the demise of both of them, the work was taken care of by their son Vikas Amte. He was in charge of Anandvan for some time. Then his son Kaustubh too handled the responsibility of Anandvan. But, due to a family quarrel, Dr Sheetal Amte was given the responsibility to handle and manage Anandvan.
