The alleged suicide by a 25-year-old contractual male nursing staff member at a government hospital in Jaipur over the week-end after the termination of his service has led to widespread protests in Rajasthan. The nursing staff staged demonstrations and boycotted work at the health facilities in several towns on Saturday (June 13, 2026).
Though the State government agreed to provide a contractual job to the widow of the deceased at a medical college, the protesters demanded compensation of ₹1 crore and allotment of a house to the family. Deepak Kharwal, a resident of Dausa district’s Lawan village, allegedly took his life in a state of depression after losing job.
Deepak was working in an intensive care unit at Mahila Chikitsalaya, attached to Sawai Man Singh Government Medical College in Jaipur. The State government has decided to remove about 6,500 contractual nursing personnel employed through private placement agencies in the government hospitals.
The workers were originally recruited during the previous Congress regime in 2022, with their numbers increasing significantly over the years. The Bharatiya Janata Party government has now decided to fill nursing positions through a recruitment process and appoint candidates on a five-year contractual basis.
The protesting nurses demanded that existing workers be regularised or accommodated in the ongoing recruitment drive for 3,000 posts of Nursing Officers. Tensions escalated during the demonstration at Sawai Man Singh Hospital on Friday (June 12, 2026) night, with nursing associations alleging that police resorted to lathicharge following a scuffle between protesters and security personnel.
Rashtriya Loktantrik Party chief and Nagaur MP Hanuman Beniwal, who joined talks between government representatives and the next of kin of the deceased, announced financial assistance of ₹5 lakh for the bereaved family from his party. Officials present during the talks included Medical Education Commissioner B.L. Goyal and SMS Medical College Principal Deepak Maheshwari.
The incident also drew reactions from the Opposition leaders, who accused the BJP government of failing to address the concerns of contractual employees. Former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said Deepak’s death could have been prevented if the government had shown greater sensitivity towards contractual workers, while his former Cabinet colleague Pratap Singh Khachariyawas demanded an impartial probe.
Deepak was among nearly 310 contractual workers hired through placement agencies, whose services were discontinued. He is survived by his wife, who is two months pregnant, and their three-year-old son. According to Deepak’s family, he was the sole earning member supporting the household.
Those in distress or having suicidal tendencies could seek help and counselling by calling any of the following numbers.
Published – June 14, 2026 01:20 am IST
