BJP shuts down Kerala after RSS man's murder

The dawn to dusk strike called by the BJP on Sunday, in protest against the murder of an RSS worker, has come to an end across the state.

After being summoned by Governor P. Sathasivam, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan promised that action would be taken against law-breakers irrespective of their status and political affiliation. Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also told him to curb political violence.

An RSS worker was hacked to death by alleged CPM workers in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday. Assailants chopped off Rajesh Edavakode, an RSS worker's hand in Sreekaryam. Rajesh succumbed to injuries hours after the attack.All shops and markets across the state were shut and all public vehicles went off the roads, residents and officials said. The few private vehicles which plied faced angry BJP and RSS activists.

Kerala Police chief Loknath Behra told reporters that all but one of those involved in the crime has been arrested."Their questioning has started. Preliminary indications are that there was political and also personal rivalry," he said.

In another unprecedented development, the Governor, a former Supreme Court Chief Justice, summoned Vijayan and Behra to know the law and order situation in the state.

In the last two weeks, there was an attack on the state BJP headquarters and the residence of the son of CPI-M state Secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan before Rajesh was murdered.

Sathasivam quoted Vijayan as saying that he would meet both state BJP President Kummanam Rajasekharan and the state RSS chief and make a public appeal for peace.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)