An RSS worker was hacked to death in Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram in the evening on Saturday.

The victim, identified as 34-year-old Rajesh, was killed in Sreekaryam area of the state capital around 8.30 pm while he was returning from the shakha office.

According to the police, the six-member gang of attackers was led by a history-sheeter. The miscreants chopped off Rajesh's left hand in the attack. All the six attackers are absconding.

According to reports, there were over 20 wounds in his body.

Rajesh was rushed to a nearby hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries.

Kerala BJP chief Kumanam Rajasekharan alleged that the CPI-M was behind the attack, a charge denied by the district leadership of the Left party. The BJP has called for a state-wide hartal on Sunday, the state BJP chief said. Rajasekharan went on to say that such violent acts had the tacit support of the state government, adding that he would bring these attacks to the notice of the Centre.

"Unfortunate that Rajesh left us. Stricken!", Rajasekharan said in another tweet.

SEARCH IS ON TO ARREST MISCREANTS

Police have started investigating the case and search is on to trace the absconding criminals.

A local goon called Manikandan is said to be the prime suspect in the case.

City police commissioner Sparjan Kumar said, "Police are on the lookout for the attackers. Security has been beefed up across the city to prevent such untoward incidents from recurring."

Police have also clamped prohibitory orders for three days from Friday after BJP's Kerala unit office in Thiruvananthapuram was torched and the residence of CPI-M state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan's son Bineesh Kodiyeri was attacked.

Earlier, 10 people, including 4 from the student and youth wings of CPI-M, were arrested in connection with the clashes in the city on Friday.

CPM DENIES INVOLVEMENT

Meanwhile, the CPM is in denial. A press statement issued by the party said that it had no connection with the incident.

It is pertinent to mention here that RSS and CPM workers have had a history of violent clashes in Kerala.

In the most recent of such confrontations, clashes broke out between workers of the two communities in Kannur district's Payyanur area on July 11 earlier this month.

Kannur district has been particularly volatile since the murder of CPM worker Dhanaraj last year.

(WITH INPUTS FROM GOPI KRISHNAN UNNITHAN AND PTI)

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