A 65-year-old man and his son in South Dinajpur have been accused of verbally abusing and threatening three nurses who were on duty at a rural hospital on Thursday.

They have filed a complaint with the police, prompting them to initiate a probe. Sources said, Naimuddin Mian, a resident of Ramnagar, reached the rural hospital in Tapan of the district on Thursday afternoon. He was accompanied by his son, Motaleb Mian.

“The patient (Naimuddin) complained of vertigo. At the emergency, a nurse and a doctor checked his blood pressure and issued a prescription. Another nurse was jotting down the patient’s details when another patient arrived at the emergency.

"As the nurses approached the new patient, Naimuddin and his son started abusing the nurses, alleging that they were neglecting him,” said Ankur Das Karmakar, the block medical officer in Tapan.

The father and the son also threatened them with dire consequences and left the hospital, said one of the nurses.

“They even attempted to assault us. We feel intimidated as they told us we will not be spared. We did our duty diligently yet we faced such abuses and threats,” said one of the nurses. Karmakar and the three nurses filed a complaint at Tapan police station. “We have received the complaint. Investigations have started,” said a police officer.

Sudip Das, South Dinajpur's chief medical officer of health, condemned the incident. “It is unfortunate that the nurses had to face such a situation. We have requested the police to enhance security at the hospital concerned,” said Das.