A cancer patient’s husband was allegedly beaten up by a doctor at Medical College and Hospital on Wednesday.

The incident occurred when Saumitra Chatterjee, in his 40s, went to get wife Dipali released from the oncology department on Wednesday. She is suffering from colon cancer and was admitted to the hospital on Tuesday.

“She was released at 11am but a doctor asked her to stay in the ward for two hours as a precaution against possible side effects,” Chatterjee said.

“When I went to bring her back, a nurse and two postgraduate trainees rudely told me that she would not be released before 4pm,” Chatterjee alleged. “They scratched the release order and wrote 4pm on it. When I protested against their behaviour, a member of the house staff hit me on the chest.”

Chatterjee lodged a complaint with police and the medical superintendent. “We are probing the matter,” said medical superintendent Anup Roy.