Bhubaneswar, March 27: Tension gripped Barimund village on the city outskirts after a 12-year-old Rudra Narayan Naik died when a tractor hit him.

The incident took place around 2.15pm when the tractor was going to a sand lifting point on the banks of Kuakhai river.

Naik was returning home from school on a bicycle through a narrow road. The tractor hit the boy, who died on the spot.

“Naik was riding his cycle and the tractor hit him from behind. As soon as villagers rushed to the spot, the driver ran away,” said an eyewitness.

Soon after the death of the boy, hundreds of villagers blocked the road for nearly three hours by placing burning tyres on it.

The villagers demanded compensation of Rs 10 lakh and a government job for the kin of the deceased. The irate mob also tried to vandalise some other vehicles plying on the road.

Eventually, police and district administration officials arrived at the spot and brought the situation under control.

“We have seized the tractor, but the driver has escaped. We are searching for him,” said inspector in charge of Mancheswar police station Bharat Sahoo.

The villagers said that illegal sand quarrying from the Kuakhai had become a threat for commuters on the riverside ring road.

“A number of illegal sand mines operate in the area and a large number of heavy vehicles are being used for transporting sand, posing threat to commuters,” said Bhagirathi Sahu, a local resident.

Besides, the villagers alleged that the vehicles used for sand transportation had damaged the road.

“If the district administration fails to curb the illegal mining of sand, we will stage demonstrations and will stop heavy vehicles from accessing the area,” said another local resident.