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Khushbu Namdev Thakre's father and tribal activists will begin an indefinite hunger strike outside the Pen Sub-Divisional Officer's office, demanding an FIR against health department and ITDP officials. Protesters allege the nine-year-old died after wrongful leprosy treatment, and claim a government panel found negligence, yet no criminal case has been registered.

Navi Mumbai: Tribal activists and the father of nine-year-old Khushbu Namdev Thakre, who allegedly died after suffering a severe adverse reaction to medicines administered during a government leprosy screening campaign despite later being found not to have leprosy, will launch an indefinite hunger strike outside the Pen Sub-Divisional Officer's office on Thursday. The protesters are demanding the registration of an FIR against health department and Integrated Tribal Development Project (ITDP) officials, alleging that negligence in her treatment led to her death.

Girl Died on January 22, 2025

Khushbu, a Class IV student of the Government Adivasi Ashram School at Tambadi Thakurwadi in Pen taluka, died on January 22, 2025. Her family has consistently maintained that she was wrongly diagnosed with leprosy and given medication without their consent. They allege the medicines triggered a severe reaction that damaged her kidneys, and doctors at MGM Hospital later informed them that she did not have leprosy.

According to the protesters, the matter has since been raised twice in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, following which a government committee was constituted to investigate the incident. They claim the committee concluded that negligence had occurred during Khushbu's treatment. However, despite the findings, no criminal case has been registered against the officials concerned.