Relatives of 36-year-old homemaker Lakshmi Das and junior doctors clashed at NRS Hospital on Tuesday night over alleged negligence in her treatment. She died early on Wednesday.

Lakshmi, a resident of DC Dey Street, in Tangra, was admitted to the hospital at 2pm on Tuesday with a severe pain in her stomach. Doctors in the outdoor wing had told her that she urgently needed an appendicitis surgery.

“She was taken to the operating theatre (OT) only around 10.30pm. We demanded an explanation for the delay from the doctors,” said Lakshmi’s brother-in-law Uttam.

NRS Hospital superintendent L.K. Ghosh said: “The patient suffered a cardiac arrest shortly after surgery and died after being put on ventilation.”

The relatives said the doctors did not inform them about Lakshmi’s condition for hours. They reportedly issued contradictory statements after she was wheeled into the OT.

According to her kin, at least 150 junior doctors had later entered the OT without their aprons on. “We were told that her condition was serious after a team arrived from Entally police station,” said a relative.

“An altercation broke out between the junior doctors and us. One of us entered the OT and found Lakshmi lying still. We suspect she was dead by then and the doctors were only pretending to treat her,” said a family friend.

The “altercation” lasted till 4.30am on Wednesday. The patient was declared dead three hours later.

The health minister has ordered a probe by director (medical education) S.N. Banerjee, said Ghosh.