Harish Rana, India's first passive euthanasia case, cremated in Delhi

DELHI: The cremation of Harish Rana in Delhi on Wednesday marked a quiet end to a case that had stirred complex questions about life, dignity and medical ethics in India.Rana, first person in the country to be granted passive euthanasia, died on Tuesday at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences after spending more than 13 years in a coma.His last rites were performed at a cremation ground in south Delhi’s Green Park, with family members and spiritual volunteers in attendance.Rana had been in a vegetative state since 2013, when he fell from a fourth-floor balcony while studying engineering at Panjab University. Doctors later concluded that his condition was irreversible.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court of India allowed the withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment in his case, marking a rare application of passive euthanasia in India.

The court clarified that while medical interventions such as feeding tubes could be stopped, palliative care must continue to ensure a natural death with dignity.

Days before his death, Rana had been shifted from his home in Ghaziabad to the palliative care unit at AIIMS Delhi.Back in his neighbourhood, residents recalled the family’s long struggle.“It is so sad. The family did everything they could for him all these years,” one neighbour said.

Rana’s parents, Ashok Rana and Nirmala Devi, had cared for him for over a decade, often facing financial and emotional hardship. According to neighbours, the family sold their home to continue his treatment.In the days leading up to his death, members of the Brahma Kumaris visited the family to offer prayers. A video shared online showed them performing rituals and urging him to “sleep peacefully”.