Harish Rana’s body is cremated at Green Park in New Delhi on Wednesday. | Photo credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap
“Don’t cry, he is in a happy place now,” Harish Rana’s parents said as they bid their son a final farewell on Wednesday (March 25, 2026).
Mr Rana, who died on Tuesday after withdrawal of Clinically Assisted Nutrition and Hydration (CANH) following the Supreme Court’s first-of-its-kind judgment, was cremated at South Delhi’s Green Park crematorium on Wednesday morning. The 31-year-old was in a vegetative state for 13 years after falling from a fourth-floor balcony when he was a B.Tech student at Panjab University in 2013.
In the latest act of generosity, Mr Rana’s family has agreed to donate five of his organs. During the last rites, his mother bid an emotional farewell to her son with clasped hands and met those present, while his father Ashok Rana urged mourners not to cry, a neighbor told sources by phone.
Residents who attended the cremation described the atmosphere as deeply emotional. Sources noted that many attendees were moved to tears during the ceremony. However, Ashok Rana continued to comfort others and encourage them to stay strong in their time of grief.
“Let no one cry. I pray that my son goes in peace. Wherever he is born, may he receive God’s blessings,” he said. Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajai Rai, who visited the cremation ground to pay his respects, said the family had confirmed the donation of five of Mr Rana’s organs. “Harish may be gone, but he will live on through the recipients of his organ donation. The family is setting an example for the entire nation,” Mr. Rai said over the phone.
Family members along with representatives of the Brahma Kumaris, a women-led spiritual movement, attended the cremation to offer their prayers. Residents of Raj Empire Society in Ghaziabad, where the Rana family lives, also came to show their support, joining a diverse group of NGOs, AIIMS staff, relatives and friends.
The body was taken by ambulance to the cremation ground and the platform was covered with rose petals. Many mourners paid their last respects with clasped hands and some placed saffron garlands on the body before it was placed on the pyre. Mr Rana’s younger brother Ashish Rana lit the pyre accompanied by his sister Bhavna.
Sister Lovely of the Brahma Kumaris, who was associated with the family and traveled to the cremation site, said meditation chants were performed during the last rites. “The body leaves the mortal world, but the soul is immortal and has begun a new journey,” she said.
Sister Lovely further shared that in the coming days the Brahma Kumaris will be conducting a ‘bhog’ (sacrifice) and prayer ritual where the food that Harish enjoyed will be prepared. “Harish could not eat for more than ten years. Now his soul is free. In a symbolic gesture, we will offer the food his body loved,” she said.
Neighbors and well-wishers have previously spoken of the family’s unwavering determination to care for Mr Rana despite the emotional and financial struggles they have faced over the years. His parents described the decision to allow CANH as “extremely painful but necessary”. According to sources, the family is expected to return to their residence in Ghaziabad after completing the last rites and related rituals.
Mr. Rana was shifted to the palliative care unit at AIIMS-Delhi earlier this month from his home in Ghaziabad following a landmark Supreme Court order allowing him to be taken off life support. He died on Tuesday.
The Supreme Court has allowed the withdrawal of artificial nutrition, such as a feeding tube, while continuing palliative care, which allows for a dignified natural death. Medical boards have concluded that his condition is irreversible.
Published – 25 March 2026 17:49 IST
