Alipurduar, Feb. 10: Relatives of a patient beat up the ward master and a Group D employee of the Alipurduar subdivisional hospital last evening after the woman died of burn injuries.

Pinki Saha was admitted to the hospital at noon with 80 per cent burn injuries. Her husband Kanailal Saha, a resident of Kamakhyaguri, and family members had allegedly set the woman on fire by dousing her with kerosene oil.

When neighbours took Pinki, who was in a critical condition to the hospital, doctors referred her to Siliguri. But the 25-year-old died at Mainaguri, 80km from here, on way to Siliguri.

Prabir and Subir Sarkar, Pinki’s two brothers, had lodged an FIR with the Kamakhyaguri police outpost accusing Kanailal of burning the woman to death. The accused persons are absconding.

The brothers, who accompanied the patient, brought back the body to the Alipurduar hospital at 6.15pm and headed towards ward master Suvankar Saha’s chamber. Seeing it closed, they rushed to his quarters. “A group of 15 people knocked at my door. The moment I opened it, they dragged me out and started beating me, throwing me on the floor,” Saha said.

Saha has suffered injuries on both the hands and has acute pain on the chest and back. He was admitted to the hospital last night but was released this morning.

The protesters then assaulted Sunil Das, the Group D employee, near the emergency ward of the hospital. They left the body in the ambulance and fled.

Saha said he felt “insecure” and informed the incident to Kalyan Bhattacharjee, the hospital superintendent, who lodged an FIR with the Alipurduar police station against the Sarkars.

Today, a deputy magistrate conducted an inquest before the body was taken away by supporters of the DYFI. Pinki’s brothers are members of the CPM’s youth wing, but did not come to receive the body.