Fellow nurses, kin bid adieu to Aruna Shanbaug

MUMBAI: Aruna Shanbaug, the former nurse who died after lying in coma for 42 years following a brutal sexual assault at a hospital here, was laid to rest this evening with hundreds including nursing fraternity bidding a tearful adieu.

The nurses of the KEM hospital at Parel here, who took care of her for long, were keen to perform the last rites of Aruna instead of her kin.

However, a compromise was evolved by which the nurses, other hospital staff and kin of Aruna jointly performed the last rites. KEM hospital dean and Aruna's nephew together lit the funeral pyre.

Shanbaug (66), who died this morning, was cremated at the Bhoiwada crematorium.

Before the last rites were performed, her body was kept for public viewing at the hospital and taken to Bhoiwada crematorium. Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde visited the hospital and paid tribute to Aruna.

Aruna was put on ventilator support at the hospital after she suffered from a serious bout of pneumonia last week.

After her brutal assault, Shanbaug had been the occupant of a room attached to ward No 4 on the ground floor of the Hospital. She was attended to by nurses all these years who took care of her food and other necessities.

Pinki Virani, who had moved the Supreme Court seeking for permission for euthanasia for the long suffering victim, said "she got justice after all these painful years. She has found release and peace. While going, Aruna gave India the landmark passive euthanasia law."