4 nursing job aspirants allegedly consume phenyl during protest after talks with Uttarakhand health minister fail

Dehradun: Four nursing job aspirants allegedly consumed phenyl outside Uttarakhand Health Minister Subodh Uniyal's residence in Dehradun after a meeting with the minister failed to resolve their long-pending recruitment demands.

The aspirants, protesting under the banner of Nursing Ekta Manch (NEM), have been demanding that the state government cancel the upcoming nursing recruitment examination scheduled for July 25 and 26 and instead recruit candidates based on year-wise merit and seniority.

One protester from Uttarkashi district fell critically ill and was taken to Synergy Hospital. She was later shifted to Doon Medical College and Hospital, where she is being treated in the intensive care unit.

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The incident took place after the representatives of the organisation, with their demands, met Minister Uniyal on Wednesday in an attempt to resolve the dispute. However, the minister refused to consider their demands.

Speaking to TOI, NEM president Naval Pundir said, "Four of our fellow protesters consumed phenyl outside the health minister’s residence. One of them was admitted to Doon Hospital. Police detained me and several other protesters and took us back to the protest site. We will return to the minister’s residence to continue our protest as soon as we are released."

Dr R S Bisht, medical superintendent of Doon Hospital, said, "One of the protesters, a 34-year-old woman, was admitted to the hospital after consuming phenyl. All necessary tests have been conducted, and her vital signs are stable."

The incident has increased pressure on the state government, which is already facing criticism over alleged irregularities and paper leaks in recruitment examinations.

The nursing personnel have been demanding that the govt scrap the examination-based recruitment process and instead fill vacancies on a year-wise merit-cum-seniority basis. They argued that recruitment was based on academic performance and professional experience under the 2015 rules, but amendments introduced in 2020 shifted the selection process to a written examination.

Apart from scrapping the written examination, the protesters have also demanded that two years of clinical experience be made mandatory for future nursing recruitment and that stricter action be taken against healthcare workers found negligent in patient care.

The agitation began in Dehradun in December 2025 and was temporarily suspended in May after the Health Department assured the protesters that their demands had been forwarded to the state government for consideration. However, the protest resumed after the group alleged that no decision had been taken within the promised time and has continued since then.

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