KHAIRPUR, Nov 27: Nursing staff of the Lady Wellington Hospital, Civil Hospital and the City Hospital boycotted their duties and staged a protest in front of the hospitals here on Sunday.

They were protesting against the transfer of Khairpur Nursing School principal Razia Memon.

Later, a large number of nurses gathered at the Civil Hospital from where they took out a procession on the main road.

They blocked the road by burning tyres due to which traffic towards the Khairpur railway station and the National Highway remained suspended.

The situation grew tense when police tried to stop the procession.

Police and the protesting nurses exchanged hot words and also pelted stones at each other, as a result SHO of the B-section police station, Abdul Samad Bullo, and a constable were injured.

More police from the A-section police station, Police Lines and the women police station were called, who used tear gas and baton-charged the protesters to disperse them.

Nurses Zahida, Nabila, Farzana, Wakeela, Rukhsana, Noor Nisa and Shahzadi were injured and fell unconscious.

Police picked up two nurses, Bashiran and Amina, and a watchman of the nurses’ hostel, Khan Mohammad, but later released them.

Later, the nurses closed both main gates of the Civil Hospital due to which patients could not enter the hospital.

Patients faced hardships due to the protest and no new patient could be admitted to the three hospitals on Sunday.

The nurses ended their protest on intervention of civil surgeon Dr Ghulam Shabbir Shaikh who arranged talks with the EDO, health, and police officials.

After the meeting, the nurses talked to higher officials of the health department in Karachi by telephone who assured them to cancel the transfer of the principal.

Former district nazim Nafisa Shah after receiving the information reached the Civil Hospital and met the nurses. She criticized police for alleging torturing the nurses.

TRANSFERRED: Khairpur Central Jail superintendent Ghulam Mohammad Sario was transferred on Saturday and directed to report at Hyderabad.

In a police inquiry, he was found involved in escape of three under-trial prisoners.

No new jail superintendent has been appointed and the DIG, prisons, Sukkur, has been given the charge.