Three youths from Calcutta, part of a larger group of 12, and a Panskura resident, were arrested early on Monday for allegedly thrashing a security guard, a doctor, and other employees of Boroma Multispecialty Hospital, a dedicated Covid facility, in East Midnapore’s Panskura.

Sources said the youths lost their temper when one of their friends — a young woman with stomach pain — was refused treatment under the coronavirus protocol that governs the dedicated Covid-19 facility.

The four arrested youths were produced in the Tamluk chief judicial magistrate's court that remanded them to three days of police custody.

Syed M.M. Hasan, additional superintendent of police (headquarters), East Midnapore, said: “Three of those arrested are residents of Calcutta’s Science City area, and the fourth is from Panskura.”

Sources said the youths had come to the hospital late on Sunday evening with a 26-year-old woman with stomach pain and demanded that she be admitted for treatment.

“When the guard refused them entry, the four youths thrashed him mercilessly and then forced their way up into the Covid ward with the patient,” said an eyewitness. It could not be confirmed as per eyewitnesses whether the youths were intoxicated at the time of the incident.

“When doctors and nurses refused them treatment at the ward, they thrashed them too, and ransacked property, including computers,” added hospital superintendent Debopam Hazra.

He explained that the youths were unwilling to listen to the pleas of doctors regarding government Covid protocol that prevented them from providing treatment.

Sources said that as Boroma is a Covid-dedicated hospital, one of the four in the district, its emergency facilities are exclusively meant for Covid patients at the moment.

Sources said that the arrested four and the woman were a part of a group of 12 who had driven to Panskura on Sunday night for a party during which the woman fell ill.

Following the violence at the hospital, more than 70 personnel from Panskura police station were sent but most could not enter the hospital owing to Covid norms. Finally, after an hour, the youths were taken into custody from Panskura. “The woman in question was taken to Panskura Super Speciality Hospital where a simple antacid relieved her of her pain,” said a source.

More than 100 employees of the hospital held a protest demanding the arrest of the culprits.

District chief medical officer (health) Nitai Mondal dubbed the incident “unfortunate”. “I have asked the police to reinforce their presence on our hospital premises,” he said.