After row over ‘No Malayalam’ diktat, Delhi hospital withdraws circular

The administration of the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (GIPMER) said that the circular was issued without their information.

A hospital under the Delhi government on Sunday withdrew its circular directing its nursing staff to speak only in Hindi or English and not to use Malayalam language at work, after it triggered a row. News agency ANI reported the administration of the Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research (GIPMER) said that the circular was issued without their information. It also said that the health department of the Delhi government has issued a memo to the hospital.

Govind Ballabh Pant Institute of Post Graduate Medical Education and Research's nursing superintendent said in a circular that they received a complaint against the use of Malayalam. (PTI Photo/Representative image)

The nursing superintendent of the hospital said in a circular on Saturday that they received a complaint against the use of Malayalam and warned of “serious action” against anyone found speaking any other language. "Whereas maximum patient and colleagues do not know this language and feel helpless causing a lot of inconveniences," the nursing superintendent’s circular read. "So it is directed to all Nursing Personnel to use only Hindi and English for communication otherwise serious action will be taken," the nursing superintendent said.

The order sparked a row as several leaders of the Congress party, including Rahul Gandhi, said GIMPER’s circular was “bizarre and unconstitutional" and called for its immediate withdrawal. “Malayalam is as Indian as any other Indian language. Stop language discrimination!” Rahul Gandhi tweeted on Sunday morning.

KC Venugopal, a lawmaker who belongs to Kerala, also write to Union health minister Harsh Vardhan. "I urge to Hon'ble health Minister @drharshvardhan to order an immediate withdrawal of the bizarre & unconstitutional circular issued by the authorities of GIPMER," KC Venugopal, a lawmaker who belongs to Kerala, tweeted along with his letter to the Union minister.

"Nurses from Kerala are sincerely discharging their duties across the world and taking care of the patients. Naturally, nurses belonging to the same region would speak the language among themselves as it is their mother tongue. It is illogical to assume that they would speak in their mother tongue to a person who can't speak that language. The circular is, undoubtedly, highly discriminatory and denying the basic fundamental right guaranteed by our constitution," the Congress MP also said in his letter.

Shashi Tharoor, Congress lawmaker from Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram, said the circular was violation of human rights. "It boggles the mind that in democratic India a government institution can tell its nurses not to speak in their mother tongue to others who understand them. This is unacceptable, crude, offensive and a violation of the basic human rights of Indian citizens. A reprimand is overdue," Tharoor tweeted.