Balangir, Feb 18: Relative of a patient has been arrested for allegedly attacking a staff nurse of Bhima Bhoi Medical College and Hospital during duty hours last week, said police on Tuesday.

The arrested has been identified as Abdul Rafi of Kansaripada area of Balangir.

Nurses of the government hospital here had called for a cease-work stir protesting against the attack on a colleague by the relatives of a patient on Thursday night.

Medical services were disrupted following the protest.

According to police, a staff nurse Pratima Pradhan was on duty at the female medicine ward on Thursday night when two men along with a patient reached the ward.

The patient’s kin asked for a bed and Pratima asked them to wait for a doctor to come. Irked over that they started shrieking and began recording a video to which Pratima opposed.

They allegedly manhandled and thrashed her. She sustained injuries on her face and eye.

Later, she lodged an FIR at the police outpost inside the hospital premises.