The nurses of Darjeeling district hospital have handed a bitter pill to one Manojit Mangar who was forced to fly from Bangalore and seek forgiveness by holding his ears and kneeling for making objectionable comments against the staff.

Mangar, a resident of Pubung tea garden, about 30km from Darjeeling, drives a truck in Bangalore.

The driver, who has a three-year-old son and whose wife is eight months pregnant, had questioned the character of the nurses of the district hospital in a Facebook post on November 24. The comments were made after news spread that a mother had died during delivery while a newborn, too, had died a few hours later at the hospital.

Following the Facebook comment, the nurses filed a complaint at Darjeeling Sadar police station but said they would not pursue the case if Mangar apologised before them.

“I have made a mistake and I apologise before you. I shall not repeat such a mistake. My wife is eight months into her pregnancy and I have come here to seek your apology, leaving her behind. I will even touch the feet of all of you and seek your forgiveness,” said Mangar.

Mangar had come to apologise before a group of around 30 nurses on Monday evening.

The nurses did accept the apology but not before giving a mouthful. “It is clear that you do not have a culture but we accept your apology as you seem sincere,” said one of the staff. “You should make your daughter a nurse to understand our struggles.”

“Do not think you have done a great job by apologising. You had to apologise as you tried to question our moral character. Remember, we are also somebody’s wife, mother, daughter and daughter-in-law, and come from good families,” said another nurse.

The nursing staff said they often came across allegations that they were rude but added that they did not react to such allegations. “However, until now, none had passed such derogatory comments which forced us to react. Those who call us rude should tell all their family members to repeatedly go and ask the mother, what she is cooking, whether the food is enough, and whether she has added salt again and again. Her reaction would help understand our plight,” explained one of the nurses.

Police sources said the complaint had been withdrawn. “We did not physically go to Bangalore to get Mangar but we had sent written notices about the situation here,” said a police source.

Residents of Pubung tea garden had accompanied Mangar to the hospital. “We, too, told Manojit that he had to tender an apology. We made him buy a flight ticket and come here. We, too, apologise on behalf of the entire village,” said a villager.

In August last year, Darjeeling police arrested Partha Das, a Burdwan-based vlogger, on charges of creating a video that depicted non-existent red-light areas here.