Pushpa Bhave, activist who fought for united Maharashtra and Goa liberation, passes away at 81

Mumbai: Veteran social activist Pushpa Bhave died following a prolonged illness, sources close to her said on Saturday. She was 81. Bhave died on Friday night. She is survived by her husband Anand Bhave, the sources said. Journalist-activist Jatin Desai described Bhave as a multi-faceted personality. She was also an academician and an intellectual, who fought for the rights of common citizens, he said. Bhave had taken part in the Samyukta Maharashtra movement and the Goa liberation movement. During the Emergency, she had offered her home as shelter to underground political workers like Mrinal Gore. Following the mysterious death of a Dadar resident Ramesh Kini in the 1990s, Bhave had raised her voice against the builder-politician nexus and demanded a probe.