Communal tension gripped Karnataka’s Shimoga town after a Bajrang Dal activist was hacked to death, triggering protests, stone pelting and arson on Monday.

The district administration clamped prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC and announced a holiday for all educational institutions till Wednesday.

According to police, 26-year-old Harsha, who used to work as a tailor, was hacked to death by five unidentified assailants at 9.30pm on Sunday in Shimoga, around 280km from here.

Home minister Araga Jnanendra said two suspects had been detained but did not divulge their names. He said only a detailed investigation would reveal the reason behind the murder.

But minister for panchayat raj and Shimoga MLA K.S. Eshwarappa blamed it on “Muslim goons”, sparking a war of words between the ruling and Opposition parties. The Congress protested in both Houses of the state legislature and demanded his immediate resignation.

“Muslim goons have murdered our dedicated worker who is not even married,” Eshwarappa told reporters.

He went on to blame state Congress president D.K. Shivakumar for making “provocative” statements.

“The Muslim goons were emboldened by D.K Shivakumar’s provocative statement that the Tricolour was removed and a saffron flag hoisted in Shimoga (during the anti-hijab protests) and 50 lakh saffron scarves were distributed,” he said.

Shivakumar had alleged that students of a Shimoga college had hoisted a saffron flag after removing the Tricolour on February 8 when the state witnessed massive protests against hijab. However, in the video that Shivakumar referred to, the flagpole was empty when a youth climbed it and tied a saffron flag.

On Monday noon, stones were hurled at a procession that took Harsha’s body from McGann District Hospital to his home. This triggered a counter-attack with many protesters throwing stones at commercial establishments. More than 20 vehicles were damaged and a few of them were torched as protesters ran amok.

Police used force and fired tear gas shells to disperse mobs in a few communally sensitive areas.

The home minister later announced that a special team had been formed to investigate the case and a manhunt was on to trace three more suspects. He played down widespread allegations on social media linking the murder to the ongoing hijab row and said only a detailed investigation would reveal the reason.

Eshwarappa, who visited Harsha’s home and joined the funeral procession, tried to calm the protesters who were calling for an “encounter” of the suspects.

He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi, chief minister Basavaraj Bommai and senior leader B.S. Yediyurappa had called for maintaining peace in Shimoga.

“You must listen to the words of Modi, Bommai and Yediyurappa. You keep saying encounter, encounter. No such encounter will take place. No one should touch a stone once we start (the funeral procession). We should swear on Harsha. Let us conduct the funeral peacefully,” Eshwarappa said.

Additional director-general of police S. Murugan said he would not be able to reveal the reason behind the murder.

“I cannot say anything on the reason as an investigation is on. I will talk to you after two or three days,” he told reporters.

Asked about some people brandishing machetes and knives in some communally sensitive areas, Murugan said: “No one has the right to carry machetes and knives. We will take action against all those who are brandishing them and show what the police can do. We will not allow anyone to break peace and take law into their hands.”