A day after a youth died in police custody, protesters torched a police station building and vehicles in Odisha's Angul district even as three police personnel, including the inspector in charge of Jarapada police station, were suspended.

The youth had been arrested on the charge of assaulting his neighbour on Tuesday afternoon but was found hanging within an hour of his arrest in the lock-up of Jarapada police station of the district, about 150 km west of Bhubaneswar.

His death triggered fierce public reaction as villagers went on rampage, setting on fire the police station and half a dozen police vehicles, damaging office equipment and blocking national highway 55.

Though police claimed that the youth committed suicide, protesters said he died from torture in police custody.

Protesters relented only after senior police officials, including Angul superintendent of police Narasingha Bhol rushed to the spot and assured them of action.

"The police station inspector in-charge Harmohan Nayak, ASI SK Satpathy and constable Arjun Naik have been suspended. We have also initiated a probe," said Bhol.