The ransacked male medical ward of the hospital. Picture by Surajit Roy

Malda, Sept. 15: The male medical ward of the district hospital here was ransacked this afternoon by a mob which held the doctors and nurses responsible for the death of a 12-year-old boy.

Sagar Singha, a student of Class VII and a resident of Malanchapally, was suffering from fever and was admitted to the hospital this morning under Dr. P.K. Majhi.

Golok Singha said his son also complained of chest pain and breathing problems.

Sagar’s mother Karuna Singha said: “My son was given oxygen after admission and the doctor examined him. After some time he complained of breathing trouble and the oxygen mask got dislodged. I went to the nurses of the ward and asked them to adjust the mask. One of them told me to tie my son’s hands and legs with a rope only then will they fix the mask. My son died around 1.30pm.”

After the news of the boy’s death spread agitated neighbours rushed to the hospital.

Sagar’s father, however, denied that any of them were responsible for the incident.

A computer in the male medical ward was damaged and the glass doors and windows were broken.

Several patients undergoing treatment in the hospital alleged that the doctors and nurses were negligent.

Superintendent of the hospital Animesh Roy said it was “matter of serious concern” that some patients or patients’ relatives were “making a mountain out of a molehill”.

“It is unfortunate that the boy died. But his condition was serious from the very beginning. There was no apparent reason to believe that there was negligence on the part of doctors and nurses. However, we shall conduct an inquiry and initiate steps against anyone found guilty,” Roy said.

Roy also said he had informed the police about the incident. But the district superintendent of police Satyajit Bandyopadhyay said the hospital authorities had taken a lot of time in informing them.

“Police rushed to spot soon after the trouble was reported. But by that time the trouble makers had fled the area,” he added.