Mumbai: Nurse Aruna Shanbaug, who was in vegetative state for nearly 42 years following brutal rape in 1973, passed away on Monday in KEM Hospital.
Doctor Pravin Bangar, medical superintendent of the hospital, said that she passed away at 8.30 am. He added that she was on ventilator for the past few days after been diagnosed with pneumonia.
On the evening of November 27, 1973, Aruna, staff nurse at the KEM hospital was attacked by sweeper Sohanlal Bharta Valmiki. He wrapped a dog chain around her neck and snatched her back with it. He also tried to rape but sodomised her. Next day, doctors realised that her brain was damaged. Her only relative, sister Shanta Nayak also died in 2013. From then on, the nurses of the hospital had been taking care of Aruna.
The culprit after being convicted of attempted murder but not rape and robbery served a seven year sentence in jail. At the time of incident, Aruna was engaged to Sundeep Sardesai, a doctor in the same hospital. He waited for Aruna to revive for nearly four years and then married.
