A patient died after falling from the window of a washroom on the fourth floor a private nursing home at Kawakhali in Siliguri on Monday.

Police suspect that Ramanath Karati, 40, might have committed suicide but his family alleged negligence on the part of the hospital authorities and demonstrated in front of the facility. Officials of the nursing home refused comment on the charges.

Sources said Karati, a resident of Kawakhali, had been admitted to the nursing home a few days ago after he suffered a cardiac arrest.

Karati had initially been kept in the ICU and was shifted to the general ward later. “When he was shifted to the ward, we noticed some abnormality in his behaviour. He had asked the doctor to discharge him. We feel there was a serious lapse on the part of the nursing home authorities who should have kept constant vigil on him,” said Debnath, Karati’s son.

Laxmi, Karati’s wife, said they were about to take him home on Monday. “We want a complete probe and the police should find out why the nursing home authorities were negligent.”

Indira Mukherjee, deputy commissioner of police, said a case of unnatural death had been registered.