THALASSERY: The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) has called for a state-wide dawn-to-dusk hartal in Kerala after one of its activists was hacked to death by unknown assailants at Kathiroor near here on Monday.

The attackers threw a bomb creating tension in the area and attacked RSS Sharirik Pramukh Manoj Elanthottathil leading to his death. Pramod, a BJP worker, who was accompanying Manoj, was severely injured in the attack and has been admitted in the Indira Gandhi hospital. Police have cordoned off the area after the incident.

Earlier in the day, a hartal was called in Kannur district on Tuesday from 6 am to 6 pm. Later, this was changed to a state-wide hartal. Meanwhile, the state government has declared a holiday for all educational institutions, including professional colleges, on Tuesday.

According to police, TK Rajeesh, one of the accused in the TP Chandrasekharan murder case, and his accomplices had tried to murder Manoj a few years ago. The attack took place on a day when BJP’s national President Amit Shah is visiting the state.

The murder comes as a shock after the political murder of Revolutionary Marxist Party (RMP) leader TP Chandrasekharan in Onchiyam, Kozhikode, in 2012 had shaken the conscience of Keralites.