Police arrest agitating nurses at Lakeshore

UNA blames K. Babu for the incident

The police arrested 125 nurses who were agitating at the Lakeshore Hospital here demanding minimum wages, on Saturday evening.

The women nurses were taken to the Womens' police station in the city while the male nurses have been taken to the Armed Reserve Camp. They were arrested and removed in keeping with the High Court directive to ensure the hospital's routine functioning, said a senior police officer. They would be released on the condition that they would not disrupt the hospital's functioning, he said.

Minister's threat

The United Nurses Association has alleged that Excise Minister K. Babu was behind the arrest.

Jasmine Shah, president of the organisation, said that Mr. Babu had threatened them a few days ago, stating that he will show what can be done against the strike after 5 p.m. on Saturday. The Minister was waiting for the conclusion of the Piravom by-poll to take action against the nurses who have been on the warpath demanding their basic rights, he said.

Stating that the police came exactly 15 minutes after 5 p.m., Mr. Shah said that the State government deceived them by resorting to police action on the peaceful protest held at the main entrance of the hospital.

The hospital management had terminated the services of two nurses who participated in the strike on Saturday, he said. Rejecting the allegation, the hospital administrator said that they were only trainees and their training period ended on Saturday.

The district unit of the Indian Nurses Parents Association has condemned the police action on the agitating nurses. District co-ordinator N.R. Mohankumar said that parents will also join the nurses in their strike, if the government and the management tried to oppose it using force.

Terming the allegations against him as baseless, Mr. Babu said the police action was the follow up of a court directive stating that the hospital's routine functioning should not be disrupted owing to the strike. “I was busy with the Piravom bypoll for the last few days and have nothing to do with the allegations,” he said.