'Forgive everyone… now go': Harish Rana’s last video emerges as family reaches AIIMS for his final journey

Harish Rana, who has been in a coma for 13 years in Ghaziabad, was given an emotional farewell by his family. Before Rana was moved to the hospital, an emotional moment unfolded at his Ghaziabad home. A video that surfaced on social media shows family members and relatives gathering around him on Friday. In the clip, Sister from the Brahma Kumaris organisation can be seen speaking softly to him with tears in her eyes. “Forgive everyone, ask forgiveness from all, now it's time to go”

According to an India Today report, spiritual leader Sister Kumari Lovely Didi visited the Rana family on March 13. She performed a ritual tilak and prayed for him at the residence.

Sharing the video on X, journalist Barkha Dutt wrote: “The final moments for Harish Rana are almost here, the young man whose family petitioned for his right to die after he fell into a vegetative state for 13 years following a fall. I can scarcely watch this without tearing up. What courage it must take his parents. God bless.”

Watch Harish Rana's Last Video

Harish Rana Case: Supreme Court allowed withdrawal of life support

Rana was admitted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS’ Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital after being shifted to Delhi.

On March 11, the Supreme Court upheld his right to die with dignity and permitted doctors to withdraw clinically assisted nutrition and hydration.

Rana had been in a vegetative state since 2013 after he fell from the fourth floor of his paying guest accommodation while studying at Panjab University. The accident caused severe head injuries and left him with 100% quadriplegic disability.

Hospital sources said he will remain under a team of palliative care specialists and other doctors who will follow established medical and legal protocols for passive euthanasia.

What happens during passive euthanasia

Passive euthanasia generally involves withholding or withdrawing treatments that artificially keep a patient alive when recovery is no longer possible. Doctors focus on providing comfort care, pain relief and emotional support instead of prolonging life through medical interventions.

As per a TOI report, sources at the hospital said strict instructions have been issued to doctors not to speak to the media about the case.

Medical sources explained that once recovery becomes impossible, treatment shifts to palliative care. The aim is to ease symptoms and keep the patient comfortable while regularly assessing their condition. Doctors also work closely with the family while making decisions.

The duration of this stage can vary widely and may last from a few days to several weeks depending on the patient’s condition.

Doctors say focus shifts to comfort care

Dr Sushma Bhatnagar, former AIIMS chief and professor of onco-anaesthesia and palliative medicine, explained how doctors handle such cases once recovery is ruled out.

“In such situations, lifesupport measures such as oxygen, artificial nutrition or other medical support may be gradually withdrawn. The process is carried out slowly and carefully so that the patient does not experience distress or discomfort. The aim is not to prolong suffering but to ensure that the patient remains comfortable. However, the exact time it takes varies widely and cannot be predicted without assessing the patient’s condition,” she told TOI.

Strict process before life support is withdrawn

Guidelines for “Withdrawal of Life Support” require several safeguards before such a decision is implemented.

If a family seeks passive euthanasia, written consent from at least two immediate family members is required. A team of specialist doctors then evaluates the patient’s clinical condition to determine whether the illness or injury is permanently irreversible.

The decision is not made by a single doctor. Instead, experts from multiple departments review the case together before reaching a final conclusion.

Only after all medical and ethical aspects are examined does the process of withdrawing life support begin.

When doctors consider withdrawing treatment

Doctors usually consider withdrawing life-sustaining treatment when medical interventions no longer help the patient and only extend suffering.

Such situations may include permanent vegetative states, severe and irreversible brain injuries, terminal cancer, end-stage kidney failure where dialysis is ineffective, or advanced heart disease where treatment options are exhausted.

In these cases, medical teams may stop ventilatory support, discontinue medicines that artificially maintain blood pressure, halt dialysis, or withdraw artificial feeding through tubes.

Harish Rana's father’s painful decision

For Rana’s family, the court order has been deeply emotional. Speaking before the Supreme Court, his father Ashok Rana described the pain of watching his son remain in a coma for years.

"As a father, it is extremely painful. No parent would ever want to see their son in such a condition. We believe that in the larger public interest, the decision could help families of many people who may be in a condition like Harish," Ashok Rana, the father of Harish Rana said after the Supreme Court verdict.