Balasore: A38-year-old journalist was killed after an oil tanker collided with his motorcycle on State Highway-19 near Bhalukasuni Chhak in Soro area of Odisha’s Balasore district on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Sanjeev Behera of Dahisada village near Soro.
According to preliminary information, the mishap took place when Sanjeev was proceeding towards Udala from Soro on the motorcycle and the speeding tanker, coming from the opposite direction, struck his two-wheeler head-on.
The driver of the truck fled the scene after the incident but was apprehended by locals near Sergarh and handed over to police.
The accident, however, sparked protests as residents blocked the Nilagiri-Udala National Highway, placing the victim’s body on the road and demanding compensation for the bereaved family. The blockade was lifted after police intervened and sent the body to Nilgiri Sub-Divisional Hospital for postmortem.