Burdwan, March 31: Deaths of a dozen children since Tuesday, six of them within 12 hours yesterday, rocked Burdwan Medical College and Hospital last night.

A mob of over 100 comprising local residents and relatives of patients ransacked the emergency and paediatric wards and gheraoed doctors and hospital deputy superintendent Manzur Murshed till 1 am today.

The protesters hurled tables, chairs and other furniture to the ground and pelted stones at glass windows.

Parents and relatives of the dead ? aged between three months and six years ? started shouting slogans inside the hospital alleging negligence. Some of the patients from the male general ward joined them, adding to the chaos.

A huge police contingent rescued the doctors early this morning.

The agitators submitted a deputation to Murshed demanding a probe. The probe has begun.

Murshed said of the 12 deaths, six occurred within a span of 12 hours yesterday. “The babies, suffering from meningitis, pneumonia and septicaemia, died because of cardiac failure and malnutrition.”

He added: “Nursing homes and other hospitals had referred the cases only after they became complicated. The patients arrived in gasping conditions and in their last stage.”

Superintendent Sarit Chowdhury said considering that it was a referral hospital for serious cases, the number of deaths was not alarming or abnormal. “However, we are investigating the treatment and the medicines administered. The situation is under control.”

In 2004, seven children had died in Calcutta’s B.C. Roy Memorial Children’s Hospital in a day. More babies had died within a few days at the state’s apex childcare institute in September 2003.

In Burdwan, Chowdhury, Murshed and the head of the paediatric department, Nabyendu Chowdhury, held meetings to ascertain the conditions of the children before death.

Sadhan Rajbangshi, father of two-year-old Rinku who died of pneumonia, said: “There was no doctor yesterday when my daughter was gasping. I folded my hands before the nurses and pleaded them to call a doctor... they did not bother.”

He brought his only daughter here from Budbud village, 150 km from Calcutta.

Suresh Mete of Memari ? 90 km from Calcutta ? whose son died of meningitis was also among those who said they saw no doctor.