Harish Rana, who had been admitted to Delhi AIIMS for the process of euthanasia, passed away on Tuesday. He was admitted to AIIMS on March 14. He breathed his last on the 11th day of his admission. Following his admission on March 14, the process for Harish Rana’s euthanasia commenced on March 16. In the first phase of the procedure, the provision of food—administered via a feeding tube—was discontinued; subsequently, in the second phase, the supply of water was halted. Since then, doctors had been continuously monitoring his condition.
Harish Rana, a young man from Ghaziabad who had been in a coma for 13 years, was admitted to the Palliative Care Ward of the IRCH (Institute Rotary Cancer Hospital) at AIIMS. Notably, on March 11, the Supreme Court had granted permission for “passive euthanasia” for Harish Rana—specifically authorizing the discontinuation or removal of his life support system—and directed that he be admitted to AIIMS for palliative care.
Prior to this, acting on the Supreme Court’s directives, AIIMS constituted a committee of doctors, and Harish Rana was admitted to the hospital on March 14. It is worth noting that, according to the doctors, the nutritional feeding tube was not physically removed from Harish Rana’s body but was instead capped off. Similarly, the tube used for administering water was also sealed by capping it. In this manner, the process of administering euthanasia to Harish Rana began to unfold.
Meanwhile, following the decision by Harish Rana’s parents to donate his organs, doctors conducted the necessary medical examinations. Harish Rana’s passing will now enable others to receive the gift of life through the donation of his organs. It is pertinent to mention that for the past 13 years, Harish Rana had been bedridden, waging a battle between life and death. Furthermore, specific instructions had been issued regarding the entire procedure, and the doctors at AIIMS were dedicated to ensuring that the entire process remained painless and as comfortable as possible. Permission to meet Harish Rana was suspended following the commencement of the second phase of the euthanasia process.
