Cuttack: Tension prevailed after irate locals staged an agitation following death of a woman home guard who was mowed down by a speeding truck in Odisha's Cuttack district today. 

The tragic mishap was reported from Taladanda road stretch in Cuttack city's Chhatra Bazar in the morning. 

As per preliminary reports, Manorama Panda, a home guard deployed at Malgodown police station, was returning home on her bicycle after buying groceries when a speeding truck ran over her in the busy marketplace. 

Eyewitnesses claimed that the heavy vehicle struck the bicycle from behind and crushed Manorama under its wheels before halting. She sustained fatal injuries and died on the spot. 

Malgodown police, on being alerted, immediately arrived at the spot and seized the truck. The driver has also been detained for questioning. Official sources said a case has been registered. The body has been seized for postmortem and investigation is underway. 

The incident triggered massive outrage among bystanders and market vendors who slammed the lax traffic management in crowded areas and demanded stricter regulation of heavy vehicles. They also demanded justice for the family of the deceased and stringent action against the driver.