Nurses demand regularisation and equal pay as protests meet forceful crackdown

Thousands of nurses in Tamil Nadu have continued their strike under the banner of the Tamil Nadu Intermediate Health Workers Association, calling for conversion of contract jobs into permanent positions and equal pay for equal work. The protest turned violent when police launched a baton charge, prompting opposition leader Udayanidhi Stalin to denounce the government’s response as "cruel and barbaric."

Stalin accused the state administration of breaking pre‑election promises, stating that the ruling party vowed to regularise nursing staff immediately after taking office. He described the police tactics—locking protesters in cramped spaces, cutting electricity, and using intimidation—as crossing every line of decency. He also criticised the presence of teams that hurl profanity at the nurses, calling it the "peak of vulgarity."

The leader demanded an end to the repression, a call for dialogue, and immediate steps to meet the nurses' core demands: job security, permanent appointments, and rectification of salary anomalies. The incident has intensified public scrutiny of the Tamil Nadu government's handling of health‑sector labour issues.