Angul: Durgapur villagers resorted to violence and blocked the NH-55 at Katada, about 35km from here, for more than six hours on Saturday over the death of a fellow villager.

According to reports, a police patrolling party from Jarapara found a tanker standing on the road at Katada around 2am. Later, the cops found the driver of the tanker lying dead in the vehicle.

Soon, senior police officials came to the spot and identified the body as that of one Bapi Dehuri, 40, from Durgapur village. As the news of his death spread, hundreds of villagers marched to spot at Katada and ransacked a nearby dhaba and torched a motorcycle.

Then they resorted to blockade of the highway demanding job for a family member of the deceased in the company, in which he was working. Dehuri was working as the driver of an oil tanker in a construction company that was engaged in the highway expansion project. They also demand Rs 20 lakh as compensation to the family of the deceased and removal of the dhaba from the area. The roadblock was lifted following talks between the agitators and officials of the administration.

A complaint was lodged in Jarapara police station by Samir Dehuri, the brother of the deceased.

Jarapara police station inspector-in-charge Bindu Biswal said: "We have started a probe. We are waiting for the post-mortem report."