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Aruna Shanbaug case

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Aruna Shanbaug
Born(1948-06-01)June 1, 1948 [1] [2] [3]
DiedMay 18, 2015(2015-05-18) (aged 66)
NationalityIndian

Aruna Shanbaug (alternatively spelled Shanbhag; died 18 May 2015) was a nurse who was famous in India for being the centre of a court trial on euthanasia for the coma she suffered as a result of sexual assault. She was a former nurse and was from Haldipur, Uttar Kannada, Karnataka in India. In 1973, while working as a junior nurse at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Parel, Mumbai, she was sexually assaulted by a ward boy, Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, and remained in a vegetative state following the assault.[4] On 24 January 2011, after she had been in this status for 37 years, the Supreme Court of India responded to the plea for euthanasia filed by Aruna's friend journalist Pinki Virani, by setting up a medical panel to examine her. The court turned down the mercy killing petition on 7 March 2011. However in its landmark judgment, it allowed passive euthanasia in India.[5] She died from pneumonia on 18 May 2015, after being in a coma for 42 years.[6][7][8]

Attack and trial

Aruna was planning to get married to a medic in the hospital.[9]

On the night of 27 November 1973, Shanbaug was sexually assaulted by Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, a sweeper on contract at the King Edward Memorial Hospital.[10] Sohanlal attacked her while she was changing clothes in the hospital basement. He choked her with a dog chain and sodomized her. The asphyxiation cut off oxygen supply to her brain, resulting in brain stem contusion injury and cervical cord injury apart from leaving her cortically blind.[11]

The police case was registered as a case of robbery and attempted murder on account of the concealment of anal rape by the doctors under the instructions of the Dean of KEM, Dr. Deshpande, perhaps to avoid the social rejection of the victim,[12] and her impending marriage.[9]

Sohanlal was caught and convicted, and served two concurrent seven-year sentences for assault and robbery, neither for rape or sexual molestation, nor for the "unnatural sexual offence" (which could have got him a ten-year sentence by itself). Journalist and human-rights activist Pinki Virani has since tried to track down Sohanlal and was led to believe that he had changed his name after leaving prison but continues to work in a Delhi hospital. Since neither the King Edward Memorial Hospital or the court that tried Sohanlal kept a file photo of him, Virani's search has so far failed.[13]

Nurses' strike

Following the attack, nurses in Mumbai went on strike demanding improved conditions for Shanbaug and better working conditions for themselves.[14] In the 1980s the BMC made two attempts to move Shanbaug outside the KEM Hospital to free the bed she has been occupying for seven years. KEM nurses launched a protest, and the BMC abandoned the plan.[15]

Supreme Court case

See also: Euthanasia in India

Since the assault in 1973, she stayed in a vegetative state until her death in 2015.

On December 17, 2010, Supreme Court while admitting the plea to end the life made by activist-journalist Pinki Virani, sought a report on Shanbaug's medical condition from the hospital in Mumbai and the government of Maharashtra.[16][17] On 24 January 2011, the Supreme Court of India responded to the plea for euthanasia filed by Aruna's friend journalist Pinki Virani, by setting up a medical panel to examine her.[18] The three-member medical committee subsequently set up under the Supreme Court's directive, checked upon Aruna and concluded that she met "most of the criteria of being in a permanent vegetative state".[19]

However, it turned down the mercy killing petition on 7 March 2011. The court, in its landmark judgement, however allowed passive euthanasia in India.

While rejecting Pinki Virani's plea for Aruna Shanbaug's euthanasia, the court laid out guidelines for passive euthanasia. According to these guidelines, passive euthanasia involves the withdrawing of treatment or food that would allow the patient to live.[20][21]

Response

Following the Supreme Court judgment rejecting the plea, her colleagues, the nursing staff at the hospital, who had opposed the petition, and who had been looking after her since she had lapsed into coma, distributed sweets and cut a cake to celebrate what they termed her "rebirth". A senior nurse at the hospital later said, "We have to tend to her just like a small child at home. She only keeps aging like any of us, does not create any problems for us. We take turns looking after her and we love to care for her. How can anybody think of taking her life?"[9]

Pinki Virani’s lawyer, Shubhangi Tulli ruled out filing an appeal stating "the two-judge ruling was final till the SC decided to constitute a larger bench to re-examine the issue". Pinki Virani herself stated, "Because of this woman who has never received justice, no other person in a similar position will have to suffer for more than three and a half-decades."[22]

A non-fiction book titled Aruna's Story was written about the case by Pinki Virani in 1998. Duttakumar Desai wrote the Marathi play Katha Arunachi in 1994–95, which was performed at college level and subsequently staged by Vinay Apte in 2002.[23][24]

A Gujarati fiction novel, Jad Chetan, was written by popular author Harkisan Mehta in 1985 based on Aruna Shanbaug's case.

Anumol will play Aruna in the Malayalam film Maram Peyyumbol.[25] [26]

The Indian poet Kumar Gautam has tried to express the thoughts of Aruna Shanbaug in her words in his poem An open letter from Aruna Shanbaug, published on his poetry blog. [27]

Further reading

  • Aruna's Story: the true account of a rape and its aftermath, by Pinki Virani. Viking, 1998
  • Arunachi Goshta (Aruna's story) Template:Mr icon, by Pinki Virani, 1998, Translator : Meena Karnikar. Mehta Publishing House. 1998 ISBN 81-8498-142-2

References

  1. ^ http://www.hindustantimes.com/mumbai/kem-nurses-dean-celebrate-aruna-shanbaug-s-birthday-/article1-704677.aspx. Retrieved 18 May 2015. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  2. ^ http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/KEM-Hospital-celebrates-Aruna-Shanbaugs-64th-birthday/articleshow/13712413.cms. Retrieved 18 May 2015. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. ^ http://www.dnaindia.com/mumbai/report-kem-celebrates-aruna-shanbaugs-65th-birthday-1842559. Retrieved 18 May 2015. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. ^ "Ten Minutes To Hell".
  5. ^ "India joins select nations in legalising "passive euthanasia"". The Hindu. 7 March 2011.
  6. ^ "Aruna Shanbaug: Brain-damaged India nurse dies 42 years after rape". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  7. ^ "Raped Indian nurse dies after 42 years in coma". The Guardian. Associated Press. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  8. ^ "1973 Sexual Assault Victim Aruna Shanbaug passes away in Mumbai". news.biharprabha.com. 18 May 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2015.
  9. ^ a b c "Rebirth for Aruna, say joyous Mumbai hospital staff". Deccan Herald. March 7, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  10. ^ Virani, Pinki (2003-09-10). "Aruna is still on our conscience". The Times of India.
  11. ^ Kurup, Saira (2006-05-07). "Four women India forgot". The Times of India. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  12. ^ Nambiar, Harish (2000-11-20). "Yet Another South Asian Story". chowk. Chowk (blog). Retrieved 2009-10-25.
  13. ^ "The rapes that India forgot". BBC News. 2013-01-05. Retrieved 2015-05-18.
  14. ^ Surya, Vasantha (June 20, 1998). "A cautionary tale". Frontline Magazine. 15 (13). The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 November 2009. Retrieved 2015-01-22. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  15. ^ "Aruna Shanbaug: Timeline". Times of India. 2011-03-08.
  16. ^ "India court admits plea to end life of rape victim". BBC News, Delhi. 17 December 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  17. ^ "Judges consider comatose rape victim's right to die". The Times. December 18, 2009. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  18. ^ "Team to look into Euthanasia plea". Times Of India. 2011-01-25.
  19. ^ "'Aruna Shanbaug's brain shrivelled after 1973 sexual assault'". The Times of India. Feb 28, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  20. ^ "India court rejects Aruna Shanbaug euthanasia plea". BBC. 7 March 2011. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "India's Supreme Court lays out euthanasia guidelines". LA Times. 8 March 2011. Retrieved 8 March 2011.
  22. ^ "'Because of Aruna, no one else will have to suffer'". Hindustan Times. March 7, 2011. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  23. ^ Shahane, Devayani (2002-05-23). "Rape and Reality". Pune Times. The Times of India. Retrieved 2015-01-22.
  24. ^ "Aruna's story is now a play at Sahitya Sangh". Indian Express. April 3, 2002. {{cite news}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in: |publisher= (help)
  25. ^ "Now, a film on rape victim Aruna Shanbaug’s life". The Times of India. Retrieved 2013-05-27.
  26. ^ deepu says:. "Gauthami Nair as Aruna Shanbaug in maram peyyumpol". Dcbooks.com. Retrieved 2013-05-27.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link)
  27. ^ "An open letter from Aruna Shanbaug". Retrieved 2011-03-12.

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