Bantwal: The atmosphere in Surikumeru turned tense as locals resorted to staging stir by stopping gas tankers here on Tuesday evening.

A gas tanker had turned turtle here during wee hours of Tuesday on NH 75. The leakage had set in but since people moved out to safer locations, a major tragedy was averted.

Raged by this, the locals stopped over 25 tankers and staged a stir.

Bantwal Town Police Sub Inspector Nandakumar and others rushed to the spot and tried to convince the angry locals.

But, they refused to budge down. They said that though rules do not permit gas tankers to ply between 6 pm to 6 am, the tankers keep moving on NH-75 between the restricted time.

The protesters returned home only after an assurance from the SI that the gas tankers will not ply during evenings from Wednesday onwards.

However, the protesters warned that they would continue to stop the tankers, if they see one on the stretch from 6 pm onwards.