Dehradun: A meeting between health minister Subodh Uniyal and members of Nursing Ekta Manch Uttarakhand on Sunday remained inconclusive, hours after several nursing aspirants climbed a water tank at Parade Ground as their agitation entered its 158th day. Police personnel and administrative officials remained deployed at Parade Ground throughout the day as the protest continued.
Meeting Inconclusive
According to the health minister’s office, “no resolution could be reached” during the meeting. However, the minister has called DG Health Sunita Tamta for further discussions on Tuesday and assured protesters that a resolution in favour of the Nursing Ekta Manch would be worked out.
“The govt offered us consolation measures like relaxation in marks and a two-year age relaxation, but these are not acceptable to us. We stand by our demand that the exam should be scrapped,” said Rajendra Prasad Kukreti, spokesperson of the organisation, after the meeting.
Dr Anil Negi, joint director in the health department, said, “The final decision would have to be taken at the state govt level. We will implement whatever decision the govt takes.”
Protests Intensify
Earlier in the day, protesters climbed the water tank at Parade Ground, alleging continued inaction by the state govt despite months of demonstrations. Around 250 people were present at the protest site.
Sira Badhani, a nursing officer who earlier participated in the hunger strike and was admitted to the ICU, questioned the recruitment process. “If half of our batch was adjusted in 2020 through year-wise, seniority-based recruitment, how can they expect us to write the exam now? We are experienced staff who have worked in private facilities, but we are being asked to compete with fresh graduates,” she said.
Kukreti said protesters had been left with no option but to intensify the agitation. “We are holding this protest peacefully and yet the govt has not paid heed. That is what forced some of us to climb the water tank today,” he said.
Demands and Support
The protesters are demanding restoration of year-wise, seniority-based recruitment and the creation of 2,500 nursing posts. Commenting on the remarks allegedly made by the health minister regarding the performance of candidates appointed through earlier recruitment drives, Kukreti said, “If someone is found incompetent, they can be removed during the two-year provisional period. But we should at least be given a chance.”
Women’s Congress president Jyoti Rautela also reached the protest site and extended support to the demonstrators. She said the issue had already been discussed with chief minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, former health minister and the current health minister, but without any outcome. “A total of 55 MLAs, including around 35 from BJP, have given in writing that the protesters’ demands are valid. Yet there appears to be a lack of coordination within the govt,” she said.
Background of the Agitation
The Nursing Ekta Manch has been demanding regular recruitment in the nursing sector, release of pending vacancies and a transparent, time-bound hiring process. The agitation has seen several flashpoints over the past few months, including clashes with police at Dilaram Chowk in Dec 2025, symbolic mass tonsures by protesters in January this year, and allegations in April over the use of expired medical kits on hunger strikers.
