DEHRADUN: Four unemployed nursing aspirants allegedly consumed phenyl, a cleaning disinfectant, outside Uttarakhand minister Subodh Uniyal's residence after talks over their recruitment demands failed.
One protester, Kiran Rawat of Uttarkashi district, fell critically ill and was taken to Synergy Hospital. She was later shifted to Government Doon Medical College Hospital, where she is being treated in the intensive care unit.
The women were protesting under the banner of the Nursing Ekta Manch, which has been campaigning for months for appointments based on year-wise seniority instead of a written recruitment examination.
The organisation has demanded that the nursing recruitment examination scheduled for July 25 and 26 be cancelled. Its representatives, Nawal Pundir, Rajendra Kukreti and Leela Chauhan, met Minister Uniyal on Wednesday in an attempt to resolve the dispute.
Pundir alleged that the minister refused to give due consideration to their demands.
"The minister did not consider our demands and asked us to leave," he said.
Following the inconclusive meeting, the protest intensified and four women allegedly consumed the disinfectant. Rawat's condition deteriorated, requiring hospitalisation. The condition of the other three protesters was not immediately known.
The incident has increased pressure on the state government, which is already facing criticism over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in recruitment examinations. The episode has also renewed questions over the handling of prolonged protests by unemployed candidates.
The Nursing Ekta Manch maintained that the selection process should prioritise candidates according to seniority and year of qualification. Protesters said they would continue their campaign until the written examination was withdrawn and the government accepted their demand for year-wise appointments.