A dozen youths from three clubs organising a Kali puja at Sadarghat on the outskirts of Burdwan town on Friday allegedly beat up a mini-truck driver and ransacked the vehicle after he refused to shell out Rs 500 as subscription.

In protest, truck and bus drivers blocked the road connecting Burdwan town with Arambagh in Hooghly and Bankura’s Bishnupur. They alleged that the group of youths had been extorting money from them in the name of Kali puja subscription for the past one week.

“I was going to Bankura when some youths stopped my mini truck and demanded Rs 500 as Kali puja subscription. I told them that I would not be able to pay the amount and offered to give them Rs 50. They dragged me out of my cabin and started kicking and punching me,” said Sheikh Saheb, who was later treated at a local hospital.

Some other drivers of trucks and buses stopped and tried to rescue Saheb, but they too were pushed around.

The drivers blocked the road by parking their vehicles on it around 6am. They alleged that the youths have been extorting amounts ranging from Rs 1,000 to Rs 500 depending on the size of the truck and bus.

Traffic came to halt on the busy state highway. The approach road to NH2 from Burdwan town was also affected.

A large police contingent went to the spot from Burdwan Sadar police station and pacified the agitators. The blockade was withdrawn around 8am.