Section 144 was imposed on Sunday in six police station limits in Bangalore, after an RSS worker was hacked to death by two motorcyle-borne men on an arterial road, police said.
Prohibitory orders were imposed in Shivajinagar, Frazer Town, DJ HAlli, Bharati Nagar, KJ Halli and Comml Street.
This was followed by protests and bandh called by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) across the city.
Rudresh, a realtor, was first knocked down from his bike and then attacked by the duo with a lethal weapon,police said.
The incident took place on Kamaraja Road when Rudresh was returning home on a bike after attending a RSS meeting at a nearby area, they said.
The attackers managed to escape despite some members of the public giving chase, they said Rudresh was rushed to Bowring Hospital, where doctors declared him brought dead, police said.
Police said they suspected that personal rivalry could be the reason behind the murder.
However, RSS city spokesperson Rajesh Padmar alleged that it was a continuation of an ‘organised elimination’ of the organisation’s workers.
“This is just continuation of an organised elimination of our workers. Such an attempt was made also against a RSS worker sometime back here. Hence we suspect it is nothing but continuation of killing and targeting our workers,” he said.
Padmar said RSS would stage a protest here tomorrow against the murder.
Former Chief Minister and State BJP President B S Yeddyurappa said the incident and the assailants’ escape “is a telling comment on the law and order situation in the state.”
He said the murder was a litmus test for the government “to demonstrate its seriousness, sincerity and will in nabbing the killers and taking the issue to its logical end.”
He alleged that in recent attacks on two RSS workers, the two men arrested were released on bail within a few hours.
“In the earlier two instances, government failed.I demand home minister Dr G Parameshwar come clean on this issue,” he added.
He warned that BJP would launch an agitation to mount pressure on the government over the issue of attacks on RSS swayamsevaks and BJP workers.
