Bengaluru (Karnataka): The high-profile case of the murder of the daughter of Congress corporator on her college campus in Karnataka's Hubbali earlier this week has turned into a political slugfest, especially after State Home Minister Dr. G. Parameshwara's comments on Friday.
Neha Hiremath, 23, daughter of Hubballi Dharwad Municipal Corporation Councillor Niranjan Hiremath, was hacked to death by her former classmate Fayaz Khondunaik on the BV Bhoomaraddi College campus in Hubballi on Thursday (April 18).
A first-year MCA student, Neha was repeatedly stabbed by Fayaz, a resident of Savadatti in Belagavi district, with a purported video of the incident showing him first pushing the victim to the ground and then attacking her with a sharp object.
Home Minister apologises for remarks; protests held in several places
A day later, the state home minister, while speaking to the media in Tumakuru, said that the two were "in a relationship" and the accused might have stabbed her after coming to know that she was to marry someone else". The Home minister claimed the killing took place after the victim tried to break up with the accused.
The statement was widely condemned, as the victim's father had clarified that Fayaz had been harassing his daughter for a long time, but she had refused to have a relationship with him. On Saturday, the home minister, speaking to reporters near his residence in Sadashivnagar, apologised to the victim's family.
"'I am sorry if Neha's parents are hurt by my statement," he said. The minister said that the BJP was politicising the case. "We have a responsibility. The investigation is going on," he said. Fayaz was subsequently arrested, with police producing him before a magistrate on Friday, who sent him to 14-day judicial custody.
Condemning the minister's statement, activists of BJP's student wing, Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest in front of his government residence on Saturday, demanding justice for the family members of the slain girl. Protests were also held across Karnataka with people seeking capital punishment for the accused.
Slain girl's father claims attempts made to divert probe
Niranjan Hiremath, father of the victim, Saturday alleged that an attempt was being made to divert the investigation of the case. Speaking to reporters, he said, "Fake accounts were created in the name of my daughter on Instagram and rumours were spread about my daughter. The accused is in jail and the police should investigate who created the account. I have spoken to a lawyer about this. I am going to file a complaint with the cyber police," he said.
The father claimed that Fayaz was not the only person involved in Neha's murder, and there were four more people behind him. "I gave names to the police. The police should investigate the matter. If we do not get justice, we will write a letter and commit suicide," he said. Expressing displeasure against his party leaders, Niranjana said those "who were with me on the first day of the incident, have not stood behind me today".
Accused's parents wants son punished
Mumtaz, the mother of the accused Fayaz, has apologised for his son's crime and demanded that he should be punished as per the law. "I apologise to all the people of Karnataka and Neha's parents for the mistake my son made. I feel the same pain as Neha's parents. What my son did was wrong. He should be punished as per the law for his wrongdoing," Mumtaz said.
On Friday, Fayaz’s father, Baba Saheb Subani, had also demanded that his son should be “punished in such a way that no man thinks of harassing a woman”.
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