Mumbai Nurse Aruna Shanbaug Dies After 42-year Coma That Followed her Rape

[anant_s]

Mumbai: Aruna Shanbaug, a Mumbai nurse who was raped in 1973 by a staff member at the hospital she worked in, has died after being in a coma for 42 years. She was 68.

Ms Shanbaug was in the Intensive Care Unit of Mumbai's state-run King Edward Memorial (KEM) Hospital. Doctors had said a few days ago that Ms Shanbaug was suffering from pneumonia and was on ventilator support.

She was 26 years old and a junior nurse at the hospital when Ms Shanbaug was brutally assaulted and raped by a ward boy and cleaner named Sohanlal Bharta Valmiki, who she had scolded for stealing food that was meant for stray animals adopted by the hospital.

She had just finished her shift, and was in the basement of the hospital changing before leaving for home. Her attacker had been lying in wait. He sodomised her and then strangled her with a dog chain, cutting supply of oxygen to her brain, which resulted in irreversible damage.

She was discovered in the basement 11 hours after she was attacked, blinded and paralysed and with the iron chain around her neck.

From that day on, Aruna became a resident of the hospital. So thorough was the care she got over the four decades that she was bed-ridden, that Ms Shanbaug did not get bed sores, a fact noted by the Supreme Court in its landmark judgement of 2011, rejecting a petition to stop force feeding her.

''I was associated with her care for almost 10 years when I was working for KEM. Nurses would clean, feed, change her clothes, not mechanically. They would talk her... While trying to clean her mouth, by chance she would bite a finger," recalls Dr Pragna Pai, former Dean at KEM Hospital.

Aruna, she said, loved fish and mangoes.

The petition by author Pinky Virani, who wrote the book 'Aruna's Story,' to stop force-feeding her sparked a national debate on euthanasia. Former and present staff members and nurses at KEM Hospital strongly opposed it.

They were the family that Aruna had no more. As she lay in hospital without sight or memory or even the ability to move, her family abandoned her. All but an older sister, Shanta Nayak, who too could not sustain visits to the hospital as the years went by.

Mumbai Nurse Aruna Shanbaug Dies After 42-year Coma That Followed her Rape

 

[anant_s]

Aruna Shanbaug case - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In December 2010, a plea for Ending the Life was admitted in Supreme court (by Pinki Virani), forwarding her permanent vegetative state and suffering as ground. 3 months on in a landmark decision, Supreme court stuck down the demand, but at the same time allowing Passive Euthanasia (India joins select nations in legalising "passive euthanasia" - The Hindu).

Since 1973, Aruna was under care of King Edward Medical college Nurses who treated her like a family member.
While death takes away her sufferings and Supreme Father will take care of soul and grant eternal peace, there lies a lesson for all of us as society. The brutal act while is a grim reminder of what happens in several other parts of society, the resolve of nurses to take care of fellow sister who was essentially a medically hopeless case, is a story to be proud of.

Rest in eternal peace Aruna.

 

[Devil Soul]

RIP..... jus 7 years for destroying the life & shattering the dreams...... disgusting....

 

[anant_s]

RIP..... jus 7 years for destroying the life & shattering the dreams...... disgusting....

One of the legal trouble or loophole in these cases is the lack of sensitivity and apathy of police. Quite a lot of times, Police isn't trained to investigate the matter in proper manner and that leads to a situation where the culprits can get away with minimal punishment owing to improperly conducted investigation or tampering with proofs.
However a lot of changes are coming after horrific Delhi case and the laws are being changed to nail down culprits and special groups to take care of victim (medical and legal requirements) have been made.

 

[WAR-rior]

RIP..... jus 7 years for destroying the life & shattering the dreams...... disgusting....

Yup. This is a 4 decade old story. Just imagine the situation of our justice system at that time.

Why do u think today everyone in India is on roads against the apathy by judiciary regarding violence against women? Outsiders like you and other countries think that its coz of increase in violence. Its not. Violence was always there. Its time to face it headon.

As great men say, 'To eradicate a problem one has to acknowledge it first'. Thats what India is doing today. Getting on roads and accepting that the problem is there.

 

[anant_s]

To eradicate a problem one has to acknowledge it first

 

[Devil Soul]

Yup. This is a 4 decade old story. Just imagine the situation of our justice system at that time.

Why do u think today everyone in India is on roads against the apathy by judiciary regarding violence against women? Outsiders like you and other countries think that its coz of increase in violence. Its not. Violence was always there. Its time to face it headon.

As great men say, 'To eradicate a problem one has to acknowledge it first'. Thats what India is doing today. Getting on roads and accepting that the problem is there.

yeah i am an outsider, but my statement would have/is the same if this would have/had happened in my own country.... one need to be realistic, judicial system in this part of the world especially relating to crime against women is outdated...

 

[WAR-rior]

yeah i am an outsider, but my statement would have/is the same if this would have/had happened in my own country.... one need to be realistic, judicial system in this part of the world especially relating to crime against women is outdated...

Then I too expect your contrymen to come on roads against the violence against women like we did. U see, in democracy, judiciary is dependent on parliament for updating its laws. And its people who make parliamentarians do their job as per their wish. Its time Pakistan come on roads for violence against women and force the lawmakers coz not even 1% rapes or domestic violence cases are registered in your country. Same was the case in India some 10-15 years back. If u keep on sleeping this situation will remain forever.

 

[anant_s]

yeah i am an outsider, but my statement would have/is the same if this would have/had happened in my own country.... one need to be realistic, judicial system in this part of the world especially relating to crime against women is outdated...

Absolutely true!
The laws need to be sensitive and caring towards women. While such crimes aren't limited to developing nations alone, the way society and legal system takes care of victim differentiates between a civilized and backward ones.
A lot of these laws are not in sync with time and today when participation of women in various facets of public life increases, the sooner they are changed, the better.

 

[UKBengali]

Such a sad story.

 

[Devil Soul]

Then I too expect your contrymen to come on roads against the violence against women like we did. U see, in democracy, judiciary is dependent on parliament for updating its laws. And its people who make parliamentarians do their job as per their wish. Its time Pakistan come on roads for violence against women and force the lawmakers coz not even 1% rapes or domestic violence cases are registered in your country. Same was the case in India some 10-15 years back. If u keep on sleeping this situation will remain forever.

Ok now this have turned into India vs Pakistan debate..... i'll excuse myself now as this is going to turn into a mud sledding contest..

 

[WAR-rior]

Ok now this have turned into India vs Pakistan debate..... i'll excuse myself now as this is going to turn into a mud sledding contest..

Ha Ha. No No. I am not into mudslinging. I am just saying its time we all acknowledge rot in our societies. I wud ask for pardon in advance if any member uses our discussion for mud slinging.

 

[livingdead]

yeah i am an outsider, but my statement would have/is the same if this would have/had happened in my own country.... one need to be realistic, judicial system in this part of the world especially relating to crime against women is outdated...

he should have been tried for rape and attempt murder... he will probably get 25 years in US and 15+ years in UK. The law is there but Indian higher judiciary (a sizable number of judges) do not want to appear conservative. Apparently some judged boasted in private they never gave death penalty, and will never do.
I am against death in general too, but in favour of long jail term in proportion to the crime.

On topic: she should have been allowed to die in a dignified way. The hospital should be probed to see whether they followed ethical standard.

 

[HariPrasad]

RIP.

What can I say. I do not have words?

 

[Peaceful Civilian]

WTF.... 42 year in coma.....Supreme Court should have give the order of her death ...Nobody have right to suffer Pain as such long time and even she was a victim and innocent too. wtf.... . 42 years in coma...... .