A teacher, who was allegedly beaten up on Monday for protesting against reckless motorcycle-racing by some youths in a West Midnapore village, succumbed to his injuries on Tuesday, his death sparking a highway blockade and arson on Wednesday.

The blockade on NH6 lasted for about four hours, following which villagers of Srirampore in West Midnapore’s Debra vandalised the house of one of the accused and set it on fire in front of police.

According to the police, a few youths were racing their bikes in Srirampore on Monday night when Lakshmiram Tudu, 56, a tribal schoolteacher, protested.

Then, the bikers allegedly threw the teacher to the ground and thrashed him.

Admitted to Midnapore Medical College and Hospital on Monday evening with severe injuries, he died on Tuesday evening.

After his death, tribal outfit Bharat Zakat Majhi Pargana blocked a stretch of NH6 nearSrirampore on Wednesday.

Tudu was the vice-president of Debra block of Bharat Zakat Majhi Pargana.

His son Rajeev works in the army.

Rabindranath Murmu, state leader of the Bharat Zakat Majhi Pargana, hailed Tudu as their “leader”.

Additional SP (Kharagpur)Rana Mukhopadhyay said: “Five persons have been arrested in connection with the teacher’s death and a murder case has been filed.”

The arrested are Ravi Bhuiya, Arghya Bhuiya, SumanBhuiya, Suman Rakshit and Bishnupada Dolui.