An RSS worker was hacked to death by a group of people in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday night.
Rajesh, a 34-year-old RSS Shakha Karyawahak hailing from Sreekaryam, was killed by a group of 15 people who reportedly reached the spot in bikes and autorickshaws.
According to reports, his left hand was chopped off from the elbow and his body was dumped in an empty plot nearby. He also had several hacking injuries on his face. Mathurubhumi reports that there were 40 injury marks on his body. Even though he was initially rushed to Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and later shifted to a private hospital, his life couldn't be saved.
The crime occurred when he was returning from work. He was hacked in front of a shop from where he was purchasing things.
He is survived by wife Reena and children Adityan and Abhishek.
A large number of police personnel have been deployed in various parts of the city following the attack.
Following this incident, the BJP has called for a state-wide hartal on Sunday. The hartal has since begun at 6am and will last till 6pm.
The BJP alleged that the CPI (M) was behind the attack, but the party has denied any involvement.
Thiruvananthapuram district committee of the CPI(M) has issued a statement stating that the party is in no way is connected to the crime. However, BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan said that the crime was a part of the murderous politics of the CPI(M).
The police have since taken into custody Manikuttan, one of the accused, and seized a vehicle which was allegedly used in the attack.
"A lot of provocative messages and videos are being spread over the social media on the murder of the RSS activist. Police is closely monitoring the situation and action will be taken against anybody spreading such provocative videos and messages," IG Manoj Abraham said.
Opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala of the Congress has said that the government and home department have failed to maintain law and order in the state.
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