Nurses stage statewide protest over Haryana panel chief’s remarks

Routine hospital operations were affected in multiple districts, though emergency services continued during the agitation.

Health services in several districts across Haryana, including Gurugram, Faridabad, Nuh and Palwal, were disrupted on Tuesday as nursing staff observed a two-hour strike and staged sit-in protests against Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson Renu Bhatia over remarks she made during a visit to Kurukshetra’s Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Civil Hospital.

Nurses stage statewide protest over Haryana panel chief’s remarks

The protest was held from 10am to 12pm across the state, with nurses demanding an apology and resignation from Bhatia. Around 35 nurses participated in the sit-in at Gurugram Civil Hospital, while around 40 nurses protested in Faridabad and about 30 each in Nuh and Palwal.

The protests stem from a controversy following the alleged rape of a 15-year-old girl by a consultant doctor at the Kurukshetra hospital. During a visit on Sunday, Bhatia questioned the absence of nursing staff during the minor’s examination. A video of the interaction went viral, with nurses objecting to her remark, “Should I leave your daughter in a room with someone?”, alleging it blamed the nursing community before any inquiry had fixed responsibility.

Poonam Sahray, who led the protest in Gurugram, said the agitation would intensify if action was not taken. “We sat for two hours today. Some members of our team were still present inside the hospital for emergency situations, but tomorrow onwards, all of us will go on strike. If the government does not listen to our demands, we will call for a statewide common protest,” she said.

Bhatia has refused to apologise while speaking to media in Faridabad on Monday, saying her remarks were made in the context of the serious lapse that enabled the alleged sexual assault. The accused doctor has been arrested and terminated from service after a case was registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (Pocso) Act.