Mangaluru: Tension gripped the coastal area on Wednesday after a Bajrang Dal worker was hacked to death and a person from another community was injured in stone-throwing incidents late night.

All shops and commercial establishments in the communally sensitive Surathkal voluntarily pulled down their shutters. A private city bus was damaged by agitators in Soorinje, near Surathkal.

Taking note of the situation, the home department directed M Chandra Sekhar, former police commissioner of Mangaluru City Commissionerate, to rush to the trouble-torn zone and take immediate measures to bring the situation under control. At least six KSRP platoons and over 500 personnel have been deployed in the affected area to prevent any untoward incidents.

According to police, the 25-year-old Bajrang Dal worker was hacked to death allegedly over tying of buntings at a religious festival in Katipalla, Surathkal, 16km from here, on Wednesday.

Four persons — Naushad, Pinky Nawaz, Rizwan and Nirshan — were arrested after a car chase within five hours of the murder. They are being interrogated at an undisclosed location, a top police officer said.