Aruna Shanbaug’s assailant traced in Uttar Pradesh

Mumbai Nurse Aruna Shanbaug’s assailant Sohanlal Walmiki has been traced in Uttar Pradesh. Aruna Shanbaug, who remained in a vegetative state for 42 years died on May 18 at the King Edward Memorial Hospital in Mumbai. Almost 10 days after her death, Dnyanesh Chavan, a journalist with prominent Marathi daily tracked down Sohanlal in his hometown- the Parpa Hapud village in the Parpa Hapud village in the Ghaziabad district of Uttar Pradesh. He now works as a labourer with a contractor at an NTPC plant at Dadri.  Sohanlal is living with his wife, two sons, a daughter and three grandchildren.

Walmiki’s children openly admit that they can’t ever forgive their father for the heinous crime he committed years ago. Walmiki said that he did not remember anything that happened on that day and said “I have deep regrt, I want to seek forgiveness from her and god”.

Aruna, then 25, was on November 27, 1973, sexually assaulted by the sweeper-cum-wardboy. Walmiki attacked her in the hospital and wrapped a dog chain around her neck and yanked her back with it. He tried to rape her, but finding that she was in her periods, he sodomised her. The next day, Aruna was found in the basement in a pool of blood – and subsequently she slipped into coma.

28-year-old Valmiki was jailed and released in 1980. Sohanlal was convicted and sentenced for assault and robbery, but was never charged for rape.

After being asked if they would consider re-opening the case, Mumbai Joint Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti said, “Prima-facie it seems that this old case may not attract any fresh sections as Aruna died of pneumonia that seems to be the immediate cause of her death.”