Nursing staff across Haryana protest over women commission chief’s remarks

Sonipat: Nursing staff across Haryana staged a two-hour protest on Tuesday against remarks made by Haryana State Women Commission chairperson Renu Bhatia during a visit to a Kurukshetra hospital, demanding action against her and seeking her removal from the post.The controversy stems from Bhatia's June 7 visit to a hospital, while reviewing the circumstances surrounding the alleged sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl. During the inspection, she reportedly reprimanded hospital officials and nursing staff over the handling of the case.A video of the interaction triggered protests by nursing associations, which accused Bhatia of publicly humiliating healthcare workers and tarnishing the image of the nursing fraternity.Following protests at Kurukshetra Civil Hospital, the agitation spread across the state, with the Haryana Nursing Association calling a symbolic strike from 10 am to noon on Tuesday.At Sonipat Civil Hospital, nursing personnel raised slogans and demanded action against Bhatia. While emergency, ICU and maternity services continued to function, routine services in some departments were affected during the protest period.Kamlesh, president of the Sonipat Nursing Staff Association, said essential services were kept operational to ensure patient safety but maintained that the protest was necessary to protect the dignity of nursing personnel.The Haryana Nursing Federation has written to chief minister Nayab Singh Saini seeking Bhatia's removal, alleging that her remarks had insulted nursing staff across the state.Bhatia, however, has refused to apologise, maintaining that her intervention was aimed at ensuring accountability in a sensitive case involving a minor victim and that protecting the rights and safety of the girl remained her primary concern.