Thiruvananthapuram: The UDF government has ordered a crime branch probe into the murder of an RSS activist allegedly by CPI-M workers in Kannur on Monday.
Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala said a special team headed by a Superintendent of Police had been constituted to probe the killing.
He said cases have been registered against eight persons who are absconding. For the time being, the prime concern was to ensure that the area remained calm, he said.
The dawn-to-dusk hartal called by RSS and BJP in the State Tuesday to protest the murder was marred by stray violence.
"So far, no serious incidents of violence have been reported from the areas. We will not allow Kannur to turn again into a political killing field," Chennithala told reporters.
Incidents of hurling of country-made bombs were reported from Kannur and pelting of stones from many parts of the state during the hartal, which hit normal life across the state. But no one was seriously injured in any of these incidents, police said.
Considering the long history of RSS-CPI-M violence in the politically volatile area, security has been stepped up in Kannur district.
Manoj (42), a district office-bearer of RSS, was hacked to death by a gang that attacked him at Kathirur in Kannur district on Monday. Two others were injured, one of them seriously, in the attack.
Country-made bombs were hurled at the car in which Manoj and his companions were travelling and the attackers then hacked him to death.
RSS-BJP leaders alleged that the CPI-M was behind the killing and their state functionaries gathered in Kannur to pay homage to their slain colleague.
The killing happened on a day when BJP president Amit Shah was in Thiruvananthapuram.