A woodcutter was mowed down by a truck in Kumarganj of South Dinajpur on Wednesday morning, triggering outrage in the area, police said.

Enraged villagers chased the truck for nearly 2km, caught it and set it on fire, the police said.

When firemen reached the spot to extinguish the flames, the mob obstructed them. Fire hoses were damaged. As firemen moved to a safe distance, the angry crowd tried to torch a fire tender by pouring petrol on it, the police said.

The firemen had to leave the site as the truck blazed on.

The truck driver and his helper fled.

Later, large police teams from Kumarganj and Patiram escorted the fire engine back to the scene. Only then could the fire be brought under control — but by that time, most of the truck and its cargo of fish feed were gutted.

According to sources, the deceased, Rashidul Mondal, 49, was a woodcutter and resident of Keshuraile village of Kumarganj.

Residents claimed the truck driver could have avoided hitting Mondal.