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The attack left Aruna in a 'persistent vegetative state'.
Journalist Pinky Virani's interviewes with hospital staff and friends offered insight into why the ward boy, Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, targeted Shanbaugh. A friend recalls Aruna telling her, '"That horrible sweeper Sohanlal ... steals the dogs' mutton, like a vulture ... I am just waiting for some proof. The next time ... I will report him immediately." Aruna had been assigned to the dog surgery research laboratory, where Sohanlal was a "tempoorwari" cleaner. (He was) rough with the animals, and dragged them along with their chains. When (Aruna) upbraided him (with "ice in her voice"), he said: "Sister, you worry so much about dog hunger and dogs getting strangled. What difference does it make ... when doctors kill them here?" Shanbaug had been warned by her cousin of the consequences of repeatedly finding fault with Walmiki. He asked her to consider the fact that Walmiki was poor and "therefore hungry all the time." ... Walmiki's fellow cleaners reported to the police that Walmiki had said he would "take revenge on Shabaug by molesting her" and that he would "spend one month's salary to sleep with her."'
Journalist Pinky Virani's interviewes with hospital staff and friends offered insight into why the ward boy, Sohanlal Bhartha Walmiki, targeted Shanbaugh. A friend recalls Aruna telling her, '"That horrible sweeper Sohanlal ... steals the dogs' mutton, like a vulture ... I am just waiting for some proof. The next time ... I will report him immediately." Aruna had been assigned to the dog surgery research laboratory, where Sohanlal was a "tempoorwari" cleaner. (He was) rough with the animals, and dragged them along with their chains. When (Aruna) upbraided him (with "ice in her voice"), he said: "Sister, you worry so much about dog hunger and dogs getting strangled. What difference does it make ... when doctors kill them here?" Shanbaug had been warned by her cousin of the consequences of repeatedly finding fault with Walmiki. He asked her to consider the fact that Walmiki was poor and "therefore hungry all the time." ... Walmiki's fellow cleaners reported to the police that Walmiki had said he would "take revenge on Shabaug by molesting her" and that he would "spend one month's salary to sleep with her."'
'Walmiki was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for stealing, and another seven years for having tried to harm Aruna fatally. Both sentences were to run concurrently. As he had already spent a year behind bars, he was, six years later, a free man. He was rumored to have become a ward boy in a Delhi hospital.'
Within a few years the doctor to whom Aruna had been engaged moved on. Her family abandoned her.
Thirty three years later, Aruna Shanbaug is once more in the news. The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a plea by Virani to euthanize Aruna on the grounds that doing so would be 'cruel, inhuman and intolerable”. In her petition Virani had written, 'Aruna has become "featherweight" and her bones are brittle. She is prone to bed sores. Her wrists are twisted inwards, her teeth are decayed and she can only be given mashed food.'
Euthanasia is illegal in India. But why should Aruna, believed to be the only patient in the country to have lived like this for such a long period of time, be forced to soldier on? According to Attorney General G E Vahanvati, who was invited by the Court as the government’s top law officer to express his opinion, because it would set a bad precedent in a society that is still 'backward' and 'emotional'.
Since the time of her assault Aruna hasn't been able to see or speak or use her muscles or limbs.
I believe it is time Aruna should be allowed to die a dignified death. I would have wanted that if she was a friend or family member.
What do you believe?
To buy Pinky Virani's book on Aruna, go here.
Share
Within a few years the doctor to whom Aruna had been engaged moved on. Her family abandoned her.
Thirty three years later, Aruna Shanbaug is once more in the news. The Supreme Court reserved its verdict on a plea by Virani to euthanize Aruna on the grounds that doing so would be 'cruel, inhuman and intolerable”. In her petition Virani had written, 'Aruna has become "featherweight" and her bones are brittle. She is prone to bed sores. Her wrists are twisted inwards, her teeth are decayed and she can only be given mashed food.'
Euthanasia is illegal in India. But why should Aruna, believed to be the only patient in the country to have lived like this for such a long period of time, be forced to soldier on? According to Attorney General G E Vahanvati, who was invited by the Court as the government’s top law officer to express his opinion, because it would set a bad precedent in a society that is still 'backward' and 'emotional'.
Since the time of her assault Aruna hasn't been able to see or speak or use her muscles or limbs.
I believe it is time Aruna should be allowed to die a dignified death. I would have wanted that if she was a friend or family member.
What do you believe?
To buy Pinky Virani's book on Aruna, go here.
Share
9 comments:
my heart pains for aruna..
as if her life being cut short so inhumanly only coz a man couldnt contain his lust was not bad enough, she is the one who got punished for the crime done on her ! God's indifference? may be !
now the least we can do is to let her soul free and end this miserable life...
i have being following the case closely and as a woman, it hurts me even more ..as a woman, as a fellow human being, i support pinky virani and strongly feel its time to let Aruna go...
Our society is not only backward & emotional, it is also very 'hyporcitic' ! while they take pride in killing women who marry out of choise, they would rather keep a poor helpless bed ridden woman alive, just to show how compassionate we are..
what a shame !
I read Aruna's story when i was in college and is a haunting reminder of how our justice system functions. It's also a shameful example of how our society reacts and responds to such cases - and how conveniently they forget.
i read Aruna's story before. i believe her pain is causing her die each and every moment she is living her life. if as humans we have the minimum senses of feeling what she's going through then we must support her release from her suffering immediately.
It is yet another example of how lopsided our society & our system is. It would have been easier for Aruna if Pinky had just paid up a compounder or a nurse at the hospital to inject a lethal dose into Aruna years ago instead of knocking doors of a rotten System to legalize euthanasia, it would have been done remorselessly for as less as Rs. 100/- or even Rs. 50/-.
I agree with Paresh considering what's really possible but fighting against a system that disallows what's humane to sensitive minds like ours is also important.
I m agree with what "payoshni" mentioned in the last line. It makes me to think what social reforms we had till now!
Aruna's is a difficult situation to resolve. There are emotional issues as well.
If I understand right, she is not dead; only some systems aren't working the way it's for many of us. So, we don't have a right to inject a lethal injection to end her life.
That way, a number of us are in such emotional and physical pain, and it will be difficult to decide who qualifies to be killed this way.
Sad she is in such a state. No one wants her agony to prolong. One only prays her time will come. Till then, it's our responsibility to look after her well; as is being done creditably by the medical fraternity and her friends.
There are lots of good and bad things in this world. We don't have solutions to all problems. The least is make endurance of problems as tolerable as possible.
1.Human beings are vanishing their moral values, therefore the moral ethics tought by great sages of India like Buddha has to inculcated in Life. 2. One has to learn to love and respect each other, keeping in mind that equality is fundamental right 3. Being biased on the basis of caste, creed or gender is a crime, therefore,there is need for a concrete social reformation by slef motivation
5.the present LAW-System has to be revised or ammended as per the need of the situation
If the hospital had really cared from Aruna, why did they not provide proper physiotherapy to keep her limbs healthy from twisting.
Just keeping the heart beating is not all. Let her be cross over and be liberated from such treatment.
Each one should place himself/herself in Aruna's place.
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