A Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh worker from Kerala died at a hospital in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday after attackers chopped his palm off, reported NDTV on Sunday. Communist Party of India (Marxist) workers are suspected to be involved in the attack on Rajesh Edavakode, said the police.

Eight people have been arrested so far in connection with the killing, reported IANS. Inspector General of Police Manoj Abraham said there was a long history of enmity between one of the accused and the victim. “We are also probing any angle of political motive.”

Meanwhile, the Bharatiya Janata Party called for a state-wide strike on Sunday to protest against the attack. Senior party leaders had visited the Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences overnight, where Edavakode had been admitted.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh also spoke to Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Sunday about the law and order situation in the state. “Political violence is unacceptable in a democracy,” the home minister tweeted. “I expect that the political violence in Kerala is curbed and that the perpetrators are brought to justice expeditiously.”

Violent political conflict

A spate of violent attacks have been reported recently between the Bharatiya Janata Party-RSS alliance and the ruling CPI(M). The long-standing tension between the CPI(M) and BJP appeared to have escalated on March 2 after RSS’ Madhya Pradesh spokesperson Kundan Chandrawat had placed a bounty of Rs 1 crore on Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan. He blamed the Left leader for deaths of RSS and BJP workers in the state. He had been removed from his post after that.

There have been several political murders in Kerala since the Left Democratic Front government came to power in May 2016. Both the RSS and the CPI(M) have blamed each other for the bloodshed.

Corrections & clarifications: An earlier version of this story quoted NDTV saying the arrested individuals had connections to the Communist Party of India (Marxist). However, the police have yet to officially mention any political affiliation of the alleged attackers. The story has been updated.