Irate relatives of a deceased patient smashed the glass doors of the ICU at Jayadeva Hospital and ransacked furniture, leading to a tense situation.
Anwar Pasha, who had heart issues, died late Sunday evening.
The police said Pasha got treated several times at the hospital and had chest pain again on Sunday evening. He died despite doctors’ efforts. “He did not respond to treatment,” a policeman said.
But Pasha’s relatives blamed the doctors for being negligent. Forty of them barged into the hospital building, smashed down the glass doors of the ICU, damaged other rooms, and vandalised the furniture.
The Tilak Nagar police arrived on the scene to bring the situation under control.
Dr C N Manjunath, director, Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, demanded strict action against the troublemakers.
“We are a hospital that follows the policy of treatment first and payment next,” he said. “Many respect this place as a temple. Vandalism can’t happen in such a place.”
Until last year, two armed security guards protected the hospital, but they returned to their hometown in Madikeri after the Covid outbreak, Dr Manjunath said.
Though the hospital does not have a Covid ward, arrangements have been made to isolate and treat patients who test positive for the disease, he further added.