Police are probing how the mother of the raped and murdered RG Kar doctor suffered injuries during the clash between protesters and law-keepers on Saturday, police commissioner Manoj Verma said on Sunday.

The father of the murdered junior doctor alleged that government pressure had led a hospital to decline to admit his wife, who had complained of a swelling on her forehead.

“The mother of the deceased doctor has been injured. It is regrettable; it should not have happened. But why it happened and how it happened are being probed,” Verma said.

“There is an allegation that the injury happened due to the police. All these angles are being probed. If we get a specific complaint, we will investigate the matter. And even in the absence of a complaint we have already started to investigate from yesterday (Saturday).”

Some of the protesters, intending to march to Nabanna on the first anniversary of the crime, had got into a scuffle with the police on Chowringhee Road after the procession suddenly changed its route. The police eventually carried out a baton charge.

The mother of the murdered doctor has accused the police of assaulting her. Senior officers present at the spot have denied this.

Her husband alleged on Sunday that Manipal Hospital EM Bypass, formerly Medica Superspecialty Hospital, had refrained from admitting his wife because of “pressure from the government”.

His wife left the hospital on Sunday after being treated in the emergency ward.

“The doctors clearly told us they were under pressure from the top not to admit her. When the doctors first examined her, they advised admission,” the father said.

The father added: “Later, as officials of the hospital arrived, they kept delaying the admission and finally we were informed around 9.30pm that she would not be admitted. We could not have gone to any other hospital so late at night.

“We asked them why they had not informed us earlier. They told us there was pressure from the government not to admit her.”

He added: “We contacted the doctor who had examined her initially at the emergency ward. He said he was unable to do anything. He assured me that she would be fine within 24 hours with the medicines he had prescribed.”

Senior officials at the hospital declined comment. A statement issued by Manipal Hospital EM Bypass said that when doctors reviewed the patient on Sunday morning, she did not have any new complaint.

“She was able to sleep well and reported no headache or nausea. She tolerated oral intake without difficulty,” the statement said. “The patient remained stable overnight in emergency observation. Vital parameters were within normal limits.”

The murdered doctor’s father said outside the hospital: “A doctor came on Sunday morning and made her walk inside the emergency ward.” An officer said on Saturday that the marchers – meant to protest at Rani Rashmoni Road – had begun moving towards Park Street down Chowringhee Road from Esplanade when the police tried to stop them.

The baton charge took place close to where Kyd Street opens into Chowringhee Road. Asked about the mother’s allegation of being hit during the police baton-charge, Verma said this too was part of the investigation.

“We are collecting various video footage, CCTV footage, bodycam footage of the incident yesterday. Things would be clear only after the footage analysis is done,” he said.

Kolkata Police have drawn up seven FIRs, and their Howrah City counterparts two, relating to violence in multiple parts of the twin cities during Saturday’s planned marches to Nabanna. Police sources said the FIRs were related mostly to attacks on the force and violations of the court order (on the route) and the prohibitory orders around Nabanna.

Formal charges have been drawn up against several known and unknown people, including BJP lawmaker and former cricketer Ashok Dinda. Dinda, accused of threatening the police, told this newspaper that being a former India cricketer, he could not tolerate the sight of the national flag being trampled on.

“I said those words only as a reaction to what I saw. The police were standing or walking over the national flag. This cannot be tolerated,” he said on Sunday. “I have not received any summons till now. I will take legal recourse if I’m penalised for showing respect to the national flag.” He said his party had lodged a court complaint against the police’s actions on Saturday.