A 20-year-old youth, Sumesh, who was brutally attacked on the night of August 9 near the Thanni bridge in Eravipuram in the city succumbed to his injuries at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital on Sunday.
Sumesh, who resided at Mundakkal in the city, was an activist of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM).
Tension
The death triggered fears of communal tension the area since five persons allegedly involved in the attack and arrested by the police belong to a different community. The Yuva morcha called for a hartal in the Eravipuram-Thanni areas of the city on Sunday.
The police suspect that a case of mistaken identity led to the attack on Sumesh.
He was attacked while returning home after dropping a friend at Thanni.
Both had participated in the Desha Raksha Jawala programme of the Yuva Morcha held earlier that day in connection with the Quit India anniversary observation.
The youngsters arrested by the Eravipuram police in connection with the August 9 attack are presently under remand on charges of attempt to murder.
The police gave the identities of the arrested persons as Miraz (20), Abi (20), Ajmal (20), Mohammed Shahid (21) and Altaf (20).
Affair
Preliminary investigations show that an affair with a girl from the minority community was the cause of the attack. But Sumesh had no role in it, the police feel.
More persons are also involved in the attack.
The custody of those arrested and under remand will be sought by the police for further investigations.
