In an unusual protest, Uttarakhand Mahila Congress chief Jyoti Rautela on Monday climbed atop an overhead water tank in Dehradun to support the long-standing agitation by nursing graduates demanding annual recruitment in government hospitals, putting the police and district administration on high alert.
Rautela refused to come down despite repeated appeals by senior Congress leaders, including former minister Harak Singh Rawat.
Police and district authorities in the Uttarakhand capital were caught off guard after Rautela climbed the overhead water tank at the Parade Ground around 5 am in support of the ongoing protest by nursing graduates working in hospitals and nursing homes across the state.
Rautela, along with four supporters — including a woman party worker — climbed to the top of the water tank before the administration and police could react to the development.
By the time officials reached the spot, the Congress leader and her supporters were already standing atop the structure, while protesting nursing employees gathered below in solidarity.
Despite repeated requests by police officials, Rautela refused to descend from the tank.
As the protest intensified, senior Congress leader Harak Singh Rawat contacted Uttarakhand Health Minister Subodh Uniyal and apprised him of the situation. Uniyal reportedly assured Rawat that the demands of the protesting nursing graduates would be discussed in the upcoming Cabinet meeting.
However, Rautela and her supporters rejected the assurance and declared that they would remain atop the water tank until Wednesday, when the Cabinet meeting is scheduled to take place. They were still continuing the protest at the time of filing this report.
Standing on the railing surrounding the tank, Rautela and her supporters demanded that the government accept the demands of the “Nursing Ekta Manch,” an association of trained nursing graduates, particularly the demand for annual recruitment to government hospitals.
Even after Harak Singh Rawat conveyed the minister’s assurance, Rautela remained firm and refused to end the protest.
Notably, members of the Nursing Ekta Manch have been protesting across Uttarakhand for several days, demanding regular recruitment opportunities in government healthcare institutions. Their agitation gained momentum on Monday after Rautela joined the protest in dramatic fashion by climbing the overhead water tank at Parade Ground in Dehradun.
The protesters reiterated their demand that the state government immediately fulfil their long-pending demands.