A patient who required immediate medical attention for stomach cramps in the middle of the night was allegedly abused and assaulted by the nurse she had turned to for help at the state-run Sambhunath Pandit Hospital. The incident occurred on Tuesday, but the patient’s husband mustered the courage to lodge a complaint only on Thursday.

Sheikh Mehboob, a resident of Santoshpur, said his wife Nazima, 24, was crying in pain on Tuesday night but the nurse on duty in her ward remained unmoved. “Instead of helping her or calling a doctor, the nurse verbally abused my wife and beat her. She is so scared that she doesn’t want to stay in that hospital any longer. I don’t know what to do,” he said.

Mehboob and his ailing wife had gone to the hospital on June 7 to consult a doctor for regular bouts of stomach pain. Nazima was diagnosed with a gall bladder ailment and advised hospitalisation.

Mehboob said he kept quiet because he thought a complaint would provoke the nurse into targeting his wife again. But a friend he had confided in insisted that he inform the hospital authorities about it.

“We have ordered a departmental inquiry into the charge. It is a serious one,” said hospital superintendent T.K. Manna. Although the nurse was removed from the ward, about 100 people laid siege to Manna’s office on Friday. A team from Bhowanipore police station dispersed the protesters.