Bantwal, (DHNS): A RSS worker who was attacked by bike-borne men at BC Road on July 4 died at a private hospital in Mangaluru on Friday night.

Incidentally, Sharath (28) breathed his last a few hours after nearly 3,000 Hindu activists staged a protest at B C Road to protest the attack on him.

Bike-borne miscreants had attacked Sharath while he was returning home from work. He was a resident of Kandoor in Sajipamunnur. His body will reach B C Road at 10 am on Saturday. The police have heightened security in the region.

Earlier in the day, the police arrested 30 persons including MPs Nalin Kumar Kateel and Shobha Karandlaje and legislators V Sunil Kumar and Capt Ganesh Karnik, who violated ban orders and took part in the protest called by Hindu Hitharakshana Vedike.

Addressing the protesters, Shobha said the state government is supporting the “Muslim terrorists” for vote bank politics. If the state government had any guts, then it should ban PFI in the state. Stating that the government has failed in handling law and order situation in the state, the Udupi-Chikkamagaluru MP said that Dakshina Kannada district was witnessing untoward incidents with the backing of the Congress leaders.

Kateel, MP from Dakshina Kannada, said there has been an increase in the assaults on Hindus. If the Hindus fail to get security, then the government will have to face a series of protests in the future.

RSS leader Kalladka Prabhakar Bhat said “religious fundamentalists are engaged in targeting the Hindu society. With due respect to the law of the land, we had postponed the protests in the past. Now, we have lost our patience and the protest was inevitable,” he said.

As the Vedike had called for a protest on Friday, the police had strengthened security at B C Road. Tension prevailed at B C Road when a large number of activists started gathering to take part in the protest, defying the ban orders. The police kept announcing that assembly of more than five people and holding public programmes were banned.

Later, the protesters were detained and taken in buses to Puttur and Belthangady. As a large number of people had gathered, the police had stopped the movement of vehicles from Mangaluru to B C Road on National Highway- 75 for over 30 minutes. Business establishments remained closed till afternoon at B C Road.

Sullia MLA S Angara, former minister B Nagaraj Shetty, former legislators A Rukmayya Poojary, Padmanabha Kottary and Monappa Bhandary and ZP president Meenakshi Shantigodu participated in the protest.

Student stabbed

Bike-borne men stabbed an engineering student and attacked his friend at Adyar Padavu on the outskirts of Mangaluru on Friday night. Sajid (23), an engineering student, suffered injuries in the abdomen and on his hand. The miscreants stopped Sajid’s bike claiming that their fuel tank had gone dry and requested for some petrol. Suddenly, they stabbed Sajid, assaulted his friend Nauful and sped away, the police said.

CM warns of stern action

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said the government will take stern action against those who try to disturb peace in Dakshina Kannada district. He told reporters at Mangaluru International Airport on Friday that a few organisations are trying to disturb peace in the district. They will not be successful in their attempt as the police are taking stern action against them, he said.

The government will not allow any organisations to take law into their hands, the chief minister said.