State-wide protests were held today demanding a CBI probe into the murder.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today said that the investigation of the Hubbali student murder case will be transferred to the Crime Investigation Department (CID). Condemning the incident he said, “We have decided to assign the case to the CID and set up a special court to dispose of the case in a time-bound manner,” Deccan Herald reported.
Neha Hiremath (23), daughter of Niranjan Hiremath, Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB college by her former classmate on Apr. 19. The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police. He is currently under 14-day judicial custody.
However, the murder case has turned into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Dr. C.N. Ashwath Narayan, BJP MLA from Malleshwaram at a press conference today alleged that the case involved a “love jihad” angle and that the Chief Minister was shielding the suspects. The opposition has been demanding a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the incident.
Karnataka Minister Priyank Kharge accused the BJP of politicising the murder and said that they were “good at creating opportunities to divide society during elections,” India Today reported. He said the arrest had already been made and the investigation was going on. “We will take the most stringent action,” he said.
Niranjan Hiremath, the deceased’s father lashed out at his own party, claiming that he “openly” named eight people whom he believed were involved in his daughter’s murder. However, not a single person he named was arrested, he said, demanding a CBI investigation into the incident, India Today reported. He had previously demanded the arrest of the accused’s parents alleging that they provoked Neha to convert her religion. “I will file a complaint against them,” he said, The Times of India reported. Neha’s mother demanding justice for her daughter had asked the accused to be hanged.
Apologising to the victim’s family, Fayaz’s father demanded maximum punishment for his son. “He should be punished in a way that no one dares to do such a thing in future. With folded arms I apologise to Neha’s family members,” he said, the Hindustan Times reported.
Expressing solidarity with the victim’s family, Muslim organisations and trade bodies today observed a voluntary bandh in Hubbali-Dharwad and took out a silent protest, The Hindu reported. The Karnataka unit of BJP also staged a statewide protest condemning the murder, the Deccan Herald reported.
Contributed by Avantika Khajuria, Ishika Sharma, and Steffy Maria Paul
