ROURKELA: The death of a 48-year-old man in a road mishap sparked tension at Narendra chowk under Bonai police limits in Sundargarh district on Sunday evening.
Irate locals blocked National Highway-143 for nearly four hours after Santosh Nanda (48) of Gurundia was reportedly mowed down by a truck at Narendra chowk at around 5 pm.
Police said the accident took place near Turamura and Narendra panchayat office. The truck coming from Gurundia ran over Santosh, dragging his body for several metres before coming to a halt. It is suspected that Santosh was crossing the road when the truck hit him as his motorcycle was found parked safely near the mishap site.
Following the accident, locals blocked NH-53 demanding adequate compensation for Santosh’s family and a ban on the movement of heavy vehicles on Gurundia-Kalunga road.
As vehicular movement on the route came to a standstill due to the blockade, police and administrative officials reached the spot and held discussion with the agitators. After much persuasion, the blockade on NH-143 was lifted at around 9 pm. However, the agitators later shifted their protest to the accident site near Turamura, where they continued blocking the Gurundia-Kalunga road. The blockade was continuing till last reports came in.