Durgapur, Jan. 23: Relatives and neighbours of a youth who was admitted with head injuries ransacked Bidhannagar New Township E.S.I. Hospital here alleging negligence after he died.

The marauders armed with iron rods and lathis stormed the emergency ward minutes after the news of the death went out.

The security guards who tried to stop the mob of around 50 people were the first targets. The furniture next. The gang chased Dr Subodh Soren and nurse Mousami Chatterjee, who took shelter in a room on another floor.

“We would have been killed if we did not manage to get into the room,” said Chatterjee. She thanked God that being a holiday, there was no other patient in the emergency ward.

Hospital superintendent B.. Bhattacharya said: “My staff on duty tried their best to tell the youths that Dhruba Mondal, 28, whose head was smashed, had died of heavy blood loss but they refused to listen.” A contract labourer, Dhruba was hit by a crane around 2.30 pm.

Seven people have been arrested on charges of damaging property and harassing hospital employees. Subdivisional police officer Sumit Chaturvedi said a search is on for about 20 others.