Police fired 40 rounds of tear gas to contain a protest at Chitwan Medical College in Bharatpur over a patient’s death on Sunday, according to Deputy Superintendent of Police Ek Narayan Koirala, the spokesperson of Chitwan district police.

The situation at the medical college became tense after friends and relatives of Aasa Gyawali, who died at the hospital on Saturday, started vandalising the hospital property.

Police said they had to intervene as the protest, which started peacefully, turned violent in the evening. At least six policemen were injured when the protesters clashed with police, said Koirala.

Aasa Gyawali, a resident of Madhya Bindu in Nawalpur, had undergone a nasal surgery at the hospital on October 14. She died on Saturday after her condition worsened after the surgery, said Tuk Narayan Gyawali, her husband.

Gyawali’s friends and relatives have claimed that she died after a simple surgical procedure. They started protesting in front of the hospital from Sunday afternoon.

Gyawali’s relatives and the hospital administration were trying to sit for a talk when the protest outside suddenly turned violent.

"Both parties were trying to find a solution through dialogue when the situation escalated," said Police Inspector Daya Krishna Bhatta. “We fired tear gas to contain the situation."

Police also detained 12 people for vandalising the hospital property.