Bhopal, Feb 5 (IANS) In a late night development, the nurses of Bhopal who were on strike along with those of four other medical colleges since the past three days called off their strike Friday after a meeting with health education department officials.

The officers, led by principal secretary of health education Indranil Shankar Daani, after meeting a group of nurses also ordered release of 202 nurses who were arrested Thursday and also revoked suspension orders on some, said health department spokesperson Manoj Pathak.

On Thursday, 202 nurses were arrested in Bhopal and 14 were suspended when they refused to call off their strike despite the Madhya Pradesh government invoking the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) to prevent any disruption of health services in the state.

Around 3,500 nurses of five medical colleges - one each in Bhopal, Indore, Gwalior, Jabalpur and Rewa districts - were on an indefinite strike since Wednesday.

They were demanding benefits of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, raising their retirement age to 65 years and increasing the stipend given to trainee nurses.

The state government invoked ESMA on Tuesday night.

However, four other medical colleges nurses are still on strike and it would be interesting to see what step they take Saturday when their colleagues call off their strike unconditionally in the state capital.