B'luru cops assure impartial probe into activist's murder, RSS calls off bandh

Bengaluru: Just hours after giving a bandh call in the city on Monday to protest the brutal murder of an Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist, the saffron outfit called it off, following assurances from the police of speedy action.

According to a NDTV report, the RSS and BJP called of the bandh after the Bengaluru police promised an impartial probe into the murder of their member. 

35-year-old Rudresh R, an RSS activist and a BJP member from Shivajinagar was hacked to death by two men on the busy Kamaraj Road near Commercial Street on Sunday morning.

Read: Bengaluru: RSS worker murdered in broad daylight in Shivajinagar

Soon after the murder, over 200 RSS workers protested in front of the Commercial Street police station, took out a rally till the Kamaraj Road and forced business establishments to down the shutters. Over 1,000 policemen and RAF personnel have been deployed in the area to maintain law and order.

Rudresh, who was a secretary in the BJP Shivajinagar unit, was returning home after attending the RSS route march in the morning when the crime took place. He and his friends and fellow RSS members Jayaram and Kumar had stopped to have tea when the two murderers came on a bike and took a swipe at Rudresh's neck with a machete. He was rushed to the Bowring Hospital nearby, but was declared brought dead.

City Police Commissioner N.S. Megharikh has imposed prohibitory orders under Section 144 in Shivajinagar, Commercial Street, Bharathinagar and Pulikeshinagar.

Preliminary investigation reveals that the assailants had not covered their faces and their bike had no number plate. Kumar and Jayaram tried to catch the attackers and even pelted stones at them, but they soon vanished.

Senior police officers visited the spot and carried out the investigation. The city police commissioner has formed several teams to probe the murder and assured the assailants will be nabbed soon. Rudresh was also into real estate business and is survived by wife and two children.

RSS members have threatened to go on state wide bandh if the police fails to arrest the attackers by 8 pm on Monday.