CHENNAI: Tension was palpable at Kilambakkam bus terminus on Thursday night after hundreds of government nurses staged an overnight protest that continued until the early morning hours of Friday.
Organised by the Tamil Nadu Nurses Development Association, over 1,000 nurses from hospitals and health centres across TN gathered on Thursday at Sivananda Salai in Chepauk for a hunger strike, pressing various demands.
Protesters claimed that election promises made by the ruling DMK had not been fulfilled even after four-and-a-half years in power. Their key demands included regularisation of services and the reinstatement of over 700 nurses who were allegedly removed from service citing administrative reasons.
On Thursday evening, city police detained the protesters from Chepauk. After holding them briefly, police transported them in patrol vehicles and hired government buses to the terminus, which falls under the Tambaram City Police limits. At midnight, they informed the nurses that they had been released and instructed them to board buses and return to their native places before leaving the spot.
However, hundreds of nurses regrouped and decided not to disperse and instead continue their hunger strike at the terminus itself. They sat through the night, raising slogans.
Following this, Kilambakkam police rushed to the spot with additional personnel, including a large number of women police officers. Police warned the nurses to call off the protest and leave peacefully, stating that failure to do so would result in arrests. The nurses, however, said that their protest was peaceful and did not disrupt bus services or inconvenience passengers, and questioned why they were being threatened.
Even past midnight, the protest continued, with several nurses sleeping and resting on the floor of the terminus. In the early morning, the terminus fell dark following a sudden power outage, leading to panic and tension. Police informed the nurses that it was unsafe to remain in the dark and urged them to disperse.
Protesters alleged that the power cut was deliberate and refused to leave, switching on torchlights on their mobile phones and raising slogans against the government. Electricity supply was restored after about 45 minutes.
At night, TVK’s Aadhav Arjuna arrived at the terminus and interacted with the nurses. Speaking to reporters, he said, “The State government must respect court orders and ensure regularisation of nurses services. Many nurses work 18-24 hours/day in various capacities and deserve proper recognition.”
Assuring legal support to the nurses, he added that senior advocates would be engaged to fight their case in court.
At around 4.30 am, police force arrived at the terminus with several police vehicles, picked up the nurses and shifted to a nearby marriage hall, where they were detained. Police said that all detained nurses would be released and sent back to their respective hometowns.