Durgapur, July 14: A doctor and a nurse of the railway hospital in Asansol were suspended today after a patient whose plea for oxygen had allegedly been ignored died.

Uma Bhadra had been hospitalised on Thursday with high fever and headache.

Suddenly, last evening, the 40-year-old woman started complaining of a breathing problem. Her condition deteriorated at night and she died around 5.30 this morning.

Her husband Gopal Krishna, a senior railway technician posted in Asansol, alleged that no doctor attended to Uma in all those hours.

“The nurse (Rita Kundu) who was on duty didn’t bother to listen to my wife when she asked for oxygen repeatedly. We asked the nurse to contact the doctor (M.M. Haque) who was treating my wife, but he was also not available.”

Uma allegedly gasped through the night and died without any treatment.

Haque and Kundu declined comment. “We will only speak to the inquiry committee,” Haque said.

As the news of the death spread, around 1,000 people, mostly railway employees, landed at the hospital. They hurled abuses at Kundu and held Haque, also the acting chief medical officer of Asansol Railway Hospital, by the collar.

Additional divisional railway manager Dinesh Kumar and senior divisional personnel officer S.K. Mishra rushed to the hospital with a contin- gent of the Railway Protection Force. A large police team from Asansol police station also arrived.

The railway officials were virtually surrounded by the protesters demanding “punishment” for the doctor and the nurse.

Listening to the complaints, Kumar suspended the duo and ordered a probe.

“Considering the allegations and the mass resentment against the doctor and the nurse, we have suspended M.M. Haque and Rita Kundu. A probe has been initiated. The chief medical director of Eastern Railway will conduct the inquiry,” said Kumar.

A post-mortem will be conducted tomorrow. “Only after the post-mortem, will we know the real reason behind the patient’s death,” Kumar said.