Bengaluru:
A 35-year old BJP party worker was murdered in full public view on Sunday afternoon, right in the heart of Bengaluru city near Commercial Street, in a brazen attack that sent shivers down the spine of onlookers. A couple of hours later, BJP and RSS workers protested in the streets, following which riot control personnel were deployed in the area.
A senior police officer said that the murder took place around 12.30 pm when Rudresh R, after attending an RSS 'patha sanchalana' (route march), was returning home. After the RSS programme at RBANMS Grounds, he went to a tea stall on Kamaraj road with three of his friends Jayakumar, Mohan, Harish.
Rudresh was standing on the roadside near his motorcycle when two men arrived on a Bajaj Pulsar bike and halted near Srinivasa Medical shop. One of the accused, who was wearing a monkey cap, attacked Rudresh with a machete while the other waited on the bike. The assailant then quickly slashed Rudresh's throat and rode off with his accomplice.
Though his friends rushed Rudresh to Bowring Hospital in auto rickshaw, he was declared brought dead.
The slain youth was a resident of Milkman's Layout in Shivaji Nagar and was the BJP secretary for Shivajinagar constituency. He was also the mandal president of the local RSS shakha. A civil contractor by profession, he was involved in real estate and finance business in the area.
Locals who witnessed the attack alerted the police. Cops from the Commercial Street police station rushed to the scene of the crime on Kamaraj street. They had to first calm down the agitated crowd that had gathered there, before beginning their work.
Speaking of possible motives, a senior police officer said, "Rudresh had had a dispute with some people in the area over trivial issues a few years ago. There had also been a recent clash between two groups over the tying of RSS banners in the area. One of the RSS members was attacked by a gang and his left eye was injured. Rudresh had staged a protest along with other RSS activists in the area.”
The officer said the police were probing the case from all angles and that the exact motive was yet to be ascertained.
At around 3.15 pm, several members of the BJP and RSS led a protest march to Commercial Street police station, demanding that the police arrest the culprits. The agitated crowd pelted stones at a car, and shops on Commercial Street were forced to down their shutters due to the disturbance in the area.
Police beefed up security on Commercial Street and Shivaji Nagar, while RAF (Rapid Action Force) personnel were deployed on Kamaraj road to prevent a breakout of violence.