Alipurduar, March 7: A 26-year-old man and his nephew, a Madhyamik candidate, died on the spot when an NBSTC bus knocked down their bicycle at Salbari near Dhupguri this evening.

A mob set the bus on fire and vowed that police would not be allowed to take away the bodies till the Jalpaiguri district magistrate reached the spot, 54km from here. The protest is still on.

Sashodhar Barman and 18-year-old Shibu Roy, an examinee at Salbari High School, were going to Old Salbari to attend a Holi fair when their bicycle was rammed from the rear by the bus on SH12 at 8.30pm. The two fell on the road and the bus ran over them.

As the driver and the conductor fled the spot, the agitated people forced the passengers out of the bus and set it on fire.

‘The highway was repaired ahead of the chief minister’s visit. But within a month, the road is in bad shape. We want the district magistrate to explain the pathetic condition of the road and till his arrival, we won’t allow the police to seize the bodies,” said an agitator.

Anand Kumar, the Jalpaiguri superintendent of police, said: “A mob set afire a bus that had killed two persons. The blaze was put out by the fire brigade. Higher police officers are on the way.”