In late July, Hindu right-wing activist Rajesh Edavakode, 34, was hacked to death reportedly by left-wing Marxist workers in the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.

The murder only exacerbated tensions that had already engulfed the city following recent clashes between activists of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the right-wing Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

The RSS is the ideological arm of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a right-wing, Hindu nationalist, paramilitary volunteer organisation.

Rajesh was stabbed mercilessly. Over 70 wounds were inflicted, his left hand severed and his right leg dismembered and flung into the rice fields.

"It was the most horrific sight. He was stabbed ruthlessly," sobs his wife, Parima.

The killings have not stopped since.

Kerala leads way in education, culture, arts

The long sandy beaches of Kerala make the state a tourist hotspot. ( Flickr: Evgeni Zotov )

The southern state of Kerala, often dubbed "God's own country", is one of India's most developed states.

This land of picturesque, palm-lined beaches is a tourist hotspot and boasts the highest human development index among all Indian states.

It is also known for its impressive performance in areas such as literacy, women's rights, education, culture and the arts.

But behind all this is a darker side. Kerala is no stranger to political and communal murders.

Though the Left and Congress parties have dominated the state's political landscape since independence, the growing influence of the RSS and the BJP nationally has led to increased violence as they seek to expand influence in Kerala.

The RSS set up base in the state in the early 1940s.

Political observers say the spectre of violence haunting the state capital over the last couple of years is strongly linked to power politics.

Violence has haunted Kerala's capital Thiruvananthapuram in recent years. ( Flickr: Alison Thompson )

Leftists fear BJP's rising popularity

Fearing the BJP's rising numbers and increasing popularity, the Leftists and the Congress have made Kerala a communal hotbed.

Police figures show that political murders have been commonplace in the state, with more than 170 killings in the last 17 years.

That's not to mention attacks on properties and houses of rival political parties.

Of the murders, since 2000, the RSS and the BJP have together lost 65 party workers, while 85 of the Communist Party of India's (Marxist) workers have been killed.

Many have been gruesome killings, involving swords and homemade bombs.

"The brutal killings of the party workers are indicative of growing rivalry among the workers of different parties and the poor state of law and order situation in the state," says Ravi Singh, a member of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC).

A NHRC team has arrived in Kerala to probe the spate of attacks on political party workers, which have rocked the state in recent weeks.

RSS workers try to storm a police station in the capital Thiruvananthapuram to protest police inaction. ( ABC News: Murali Krishnan )

Incidentally, the politically volatile town of Kannur has been the epicentre.

Considered the cradle of the Communist movement in the state, which has thrown up two chief ministers, it leads in tit-for-tat killings.

This ancient trading city has deep links to the Arabs and Persians, and was ruled by a Muslim dynasty, the Arakkal Sultanate.

Along with imports of Arab spices and timber, it has in recent years imported strains of Wahhabism from the Middle East.

"The BJP is trying desperately to gain a major foothold here among the five Indian southern states and the RSS workers are playing the bully knowing fully it has the backing of the central Government," says Rakesh Batabyal, professor at the Centre for Media Studies based in New Delhi.

"We will see this cycle of violence repeat."

Chief Minister says state remains progressive, peaceful

Police try to separate right-wing Hindu and Leftist supporters in north Kerala. ( ABC News: Murali Krishnan )

Against the backdrop of increasing incidents of political violence, Finance Minister Arun Jaitely made a hurried visit to the state to visit the house of one of those killed.

He drove home the point that the state's ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) was using muscle power because it was unable to counter the BJP politically.

He said the environment of violence would not end unless police conducted fair investigations into the murders.

Undeterred by the criticism, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, who has been in the hot seat, called for an all-party meeting and dismissed the view that Kerala was a strife-torn state.

"This campaign to malign the state is with ulterior motives," Mr Vijayan says.

"It will not work and will not change the change the state's image which is a progressive and peaceful one."

The political rhetoric continues to rise with both sides blaming each other as the violence robs Kerala of its "God's own country" sheen.