A nursing home in Salkia, Howrah, was ransacked and its furniture and documents burnt by the relatives of a patient who died within a few hours of being admitted on Sunday.

Debasis Modak, who treated the patient, locked himself in a nursing home room during the mayhem, before being rescued by police.

Local residents joined the relatives in setting up a blockade on GT Road to protest Modak’s death because of alleged negligence. The police have started a probe.

Debabrata Halder, 25, a resident of Kona, had been running a high fever and vomiting since Wednesday last. He was under Modak’s treatment but his condition did not improve.

On Saturday afternoon, Modak advised Halder’s family to get him admitted to Harekrishna Nursing Home, in Salkia’s Baburdanga. His condition reportedly deteriorated after he was put on saline drip.

Halder’s brother-in-law Kashinath Das said: “He became restless and started groaning a few minutes after he was given saline mixed with some medicines. He was shifted to the intensive care unit. We were at the nursing home on Saturday night, but the authorities did not inform us about his condition. On Sunday morning, we were told that he was dead.”

Das also alleged that Halder was forced to take a bath for nearly an hour to bring down the temperature.

As news of the death spread, local residents arrived on the spot and joined the relatives of Halder in ransacking the nursing home and blocking the busy GT Road.

Binay Bhusan Acharya, a local resident, said: “There are a number of agents who bring poor patients to the nursing home and claim money from the authorities.”

Neither the nursing home authorities nor the doctor could be contacted.