A 55-year-old employee of a Tata Motors subsidiary died at a hospital on Wednesday morning after losing consciousness while on duty on the company premises since the night before.

Relatives of the employee alleged Jaipal Samad, a resident of Tupudana area in Parsudih, died due to an accident while at work and demanded compensation and a job for a next of kin.

Police, however, doubt there was an accident.

'A 55-year-old worker of Tata Motors fell sick during duty hours last morning (Wednesday) and died in hospital in the afternoon. But, we don't think it is a case of mishap,' officer-in-charge of Telco police station Kamleshwar Pandey said, adding that a police team visited TML Drivelines, where he worked.

'The team carried out an inspection and spoke to workers there, but no one spoke of any accident,' Pandey said.

Samad, a father of eight - four daughters and four sons - was a permanent worker at TML Drivelines, a subsidiary of Tata Motors located at Telco.

He had night shift on Tuesday. But early on Wednesday, his co-workers found him senseless. There were no injury marks on his body. His colleagues rushed him to Tata Motors Hospital, where he died in the afternoon.

As soon as news of his death spread, his relatives gathered at Tata Motors Hospital, claiming he was killed in a mishap on the company premises. Local JMM leader and former Ghatshila MLA Ramdas Soren also went to the hospital and demanded compensation for the next of kin.

Later, Soren was joined by Baharagora MLA Kunal Sarangi and both declared that they would not allow the police to take away the body for post-mortem unless the company management gave a written assurance that they would pay a compensation package, including a permanent job to a member of his family.

Tata Motors authorities promised to pay compensation according to company rules, but only if the post-mortem report confirmed Samad died in an accident and not of natural causes. That pacified the protesters, who dispersed.

Tata Motors spokesperson Ranjit Dhar said: 'There was no bleeding or any external injury marks on the body of the worker. Therefore, we are waiting for the post-mortem report that can ascertain the real cause of his death.'

Police shifted the body to MGM Medical College on Thursday after which an autopsy was conducted. But, the report is likely to take time.

An official at the forensic and toxicology department, MGM Medical College, said: 'It will take minimum one week for preparing the post-mortem report.'

Speaking to The Telegraph, former MLA Soren said: 'It does not matter whether Samad died of a mishap or illness. What's important is that he died while on duty. The company must provide a permanent job to the victim's dependant. Otherwise, we will launch an agitation.'

Samad, he added, was made a permanent employee in 2011 after working as a temporary worker for 16 years.