Two police vehicles were torched after a motorcyclist died while trying to speed away from a police check and colliding with a vehicle in Hooghly’s Goghat on Wednesday, police said.

Murari Karmakar, 45, who lived in nearby Kotulpur, was declared dead at Arambagh Sub-divisional Hospital.

As news of the accident spread, residents of the area set the vehicles on fire. They alleged cops had been collecting money in the name of checking.

A police contingent reached the spot and brought the situation under control.

The accident occurred when Karmakar was headed home. “Policemen had been deployed on the state highway leading to Bankura from Arambagh and they were checking all vehicles,” an officer said.

“Cops had been asked to check the driving licence and vehicle papers,” the officer said.

Seeing the cops, Karmakar did not slow down but accelerated and tried to speed away, the officer claimed. He lost control and collided head-on with a vehicle.

Doctors at the hospital said Karmakar had suffered severe head injuries.

Residents accused cops of collecting money from people in the name of checking vehicle papers.

They damaged the police vehicles, broke open the fuel tanks and set them on fire.

Cops on the spot could not do anything because they were outnumbered, the police said. They sought reinforcements from the sub-divisional headquarters in Arambagh.

The police lathicharged the mob but did not arrest anyone.