A 57-year-old migrant worker died in quarantine at a school in East Burdwan’s Purbasthali on Sunday morning, his family blaming inadequate food and medicines during the lockdown in his workplace Bangalore.

Nitai Debnath, a cook at a Bangalore hotel for over 20 years, managed to return to his native Betpukur village on June 17 by train, and was quarantined. Feeling “very ill” early on Sunday, he was declared brought dead at the Purbasthali-I block hospital.

“He had no Covid-19 symptoms. He had diabetes and hypertension and we think attendant weaknesses led to his death,” said medical officer Ratna Dutta Banerjee.

Family members said Nitai, along with two other colleagues, were stuck in Bangalore for months with hardly any food or medicine. “He was very weak when he returned,” said son Pintu, 23.

His family alleged that villagers forced him to the quarantine centre instead of home quarantine, though Karnataka is not one of the five high-incidence states. “He would have been better looked after at home,” said brother Amal.