Ekbote was a longtime, vocal activist for workers' rights, especially in India's beedi industry.
Ekbote grew up in extreme poverty to become a prominent labor rights activist and politician.
[3] In August 2020, Ekbote began exhibiting symptoms of COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in India and tested positive for the virus.
[1][2] Ekbote's 45-year-old son, Ravindra or "Ravi", also died from COVID-19 on 31 August 2020, after testing positive for the coronavirus.
[2] Ekbote's death drew attention to the lack of medical infrastructure to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic in Pune.