Pune, 9th December 2025: Dr. Baba Adhav, the champion of Maharashtra’s labour movement and a lifelong fighter of the rights of workers, passed away on Monday night at 8:25 pm due to a heart attack while undergoing treatment in Pune. He was 96. His demise marks the end of an era in the struggle for dignity and justice for unorganised workers across the state.
Dr. Adhav is survived by his wife Sheela and two sons, Asim and Ambar. His mortal remains will be kept for public homage at the Hamal Bhavan in Market Yard, Pune, from 10 am on Tuesday. His final rites will be performed at the Vaikunth Crematorium in Navi Peth at 5:30 pm through electric cremation, as per his wishes, without religious rituals.
Fondly known as ‘Baba’ among workers, he was regarded not just as a leader but as one of their own. From daily wage labourers to hamals and Mathadi workers, thousands looked up to him as their voice and protector. Workers remembered him as a leader who stood firm on protest platforms for their rights and remained gentle and supportive while helping them during personal crises.
Dr. Adhav was admitted to Poona Hospital on November 24 after developing a lung infection. Despite continuous treatment in the intensive care unit for over two weeks, his condition remained unstable. He also had a history of multiple myeloma, a form of bone marrow cancer, diagnosed six years ago, which was under control with medication.
Originally trained as a doctor, Dr. Adhav gave up his medical practice in 1966 after witnessing the harsh realities faced by hamals while treating patients in Nana Peth. Deeply moved by their suffering, he chose to dedicate his life entirely to the workers’ cause.
He began his public journey with the Socialist Party and was elected as a municipal corporator twice. He also contested a Lok Sabha election from Khed but later withdrew from active politics to focus solely on workers’ movements.
In 1955, he founded the Hamal Panchayat, which later became a registered labour union in 1972. His relentless agitation led to the historic enactment of the Maharashtra Mathadi, Hamal and Other Manual Workers Act in 1969, India’s first law to ensure welfare and security for unorganised labour.
Dr. Adhav also led several landmark movements, including protests against hoarding during the 1952 drought, agitation against the state’s resettlement policy in 1962, and the statewide ‘One Village, One Water Source’ movement in 1972 to ensure water access for Dalits. He also launched the ‘Kashtachi Bhakri’ scheme in Pune to provide nutritious meals to workers at affordable rates.
Inspired by the legacy of Mahatma Phule, Dr. Adhav remained a committed progressive thinker who stood with the oppressed, minorities, dam-affected people, Devadasis, and all marginalised communities throughout his life.
With his passing, Maharashtra has lost not just a leader, but a steadfast guardian of its working class. As workers mourn his death, they remember him not as a distant icon, but as a ‘people’s leader’ who lived and fought among them till his last breath.
