Members of the Telangana Nurses Association hold a candlelight vigil at Ambedkar Statue, Liberty, in solidarity with 21-year-old nurse Sirisha who was raped and murdered, in Hyderabad on Monday.
| Photo Credit: SIDDHANT THAKUR
Members of the Telangana Nurses Association (TNA) held a candlelight vigil at the Ambedkar Statue on Tank Bund in Hyderabad on Monday (August 31) in solidarity with 21-year-old Sirisha, a private hospital nurse who was raped and murdered in Thukkuguda.The participants demanded accountability from the private hospital where Sirisha was employed and sought government intervention to ensure safe accommodation and adequate security for nurses and other healthcare workers, particularly in private and corporate hospitals. They also demanded suspension of the hospital’s licence, alleging that it had failed to provide safe accommodation for its staff. They also sought ex-gratia assistance for Sirisha’s family and urged the authorities to take strict action against the hospital.“The victim belonged to a tribal community. Her parents must have struggled to provide for her and make sure that she becomes a nurse. Many private hospitals take bonds from employees, despite the fact that they fail to provide safe accommodation,” said Nirmala.She appealed to Minister for Panchayat Raj and Rural Development Seethakka, who also comes from a tribal background, to intervene in the matter and ensure that ex gratia assistance is provided to Sirisha’s family.Two participants, Anusha and Seema (name changed), said they had visited the hospital after the incident to speak to the management about the matter. They alleged that the hospital did not have a nursing superintendent and that they were threatened when they questioned the management.They also stressed that security arrangements at hospitals should cover nurses and other healthcare workers and not be limited to patients and doctors. “Security should not just be for patients and doctors, but for nurses and other healthcare staff also,” they said.Laxman Rudavath, Joint Secretary of the Telangana Nurses Association urged the government to ensure that nursing staff working in hospitals were provided with necessary safety facilities in accordance with Central government guidelines.Mr. Laxman also called for a systematic mechanism to record details of people coming to Telangana from other States for employment. He suggested that authorities maintain information on individuals arriving in the State for work, including who brought them to Telangana, their place of employment and residence, and the police station under whose jurisdiction they reside. Published - August 31, 2026 09:40 pm IST
