Six taken into custody for RSS worker’s murder
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Thiruvanathapuram: Six persons have been taken into custody in connection with the murder of an RSS worker in the city late Saturday night.
The accused persons, including the key accused Manikuttan, were taken into custody Sunday morning by a police team led by DySP Pramod Kumar.
According to state police chief Loknath Behera, seven persons are accused in the case. Police has intensified the search to nab the remaining accused.
A gang led by a history-sheeter had attacked Manoj, a 34-year-old RSS 'karyavahak' and hacked him to death. His left arm was chopped off and there were several injuries all over his body.
City police has extended prohibitory orders for three more days till August 2 and banned processions in the state capital.
The dawn-to-dusk state-wide hartal called by BJP today in protest against the incident was almost total.
People who reached railway stations unaware of the hartal had difficulty in getting vehicles to reach their homes.
BJP state president Kummanam Rajasekharan alleged that the CPI-M was behind the attack.
Describing the murder as brutal, he said this is "annihilation politics" aimed at wiping off the RSS and BJP.
The BJP would take up the matter with the Prime Minister, Home Minister and the National Human Rights Commission, he said.
However, the CPI-M district leadership has denied any role of the party in the attack.
The incident comes close on the heels of the attack of BJP's Kerala unit office and stone pelting at the house of CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh Kodiyeri here.