Hiremath murder: BJP-Congress clash as father says Karnataka Police 'negligent'
The murder of a Congress councillor's daughter in Hubballi for allegedly rejecting a man's proposal has triggered a political row in Karnataka, ahead of general elections. The ruling Congress has claimed that there was a "personal angle" behind the incident, while the Bharatiya Janata Party has alleged that the murder was motivated by "love jihad." Separately, Niranjan Hiremanth—the father of the victim Neha Hiremath—has accused the police of "misdirecting" the case and called for a Central Bureau of Investigation probe.
Murder sparks statewide protests and arrests
Neha (23), daughter of Congress councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, was allegedly stabbed to death at BVB College on April 18. According to reports, CCTV footage showed the alleged assailant Fayaz Khondunaik stabbing Neha multiple times before fleeing. He was arrested by police later. On Sunday, the BJP called for a state-wide bandh to protest against Neha's murder on Monday. Later, some Muslim organizations in Dharwad also announced a call for bandh for the same day.
Amit Malviya hits out at Congress government
Reacting to Niranjan's claims, Amit Malviya, head of the BJP IT cell, hit out at the Congress government, accusing it of being "soft and slow" on Neha's killers. "No Congress leader has visited Niranjan... The helpless father now blames Congress Govt in Karnataka," he said in a post on X (formerly Twitter). "As if daughter's murder wasn't enough, the family has to deal with Congress's appeasement politics too. Will Neha ever get justice?" he added.
BJP leaders accuse state government of influencing investigation
BJP chief JP Nadda accused Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and state Home Minister G Parameshwara of "influencing and diluting" the investigation. "Look at the statements of Siddaramaiah and Parameshwara...Some say it's a normal incident...You don't have the courage to call a spade a spade due to your appeasement politics," Nadda said during a public meeting in Hubballi. On Sunday, former Karnataka CM and BJP leader BS Yediyurappa alleged that, "They [state government] are not taking it [Neha's murder case] seriously."
BJP using issue for politics: Siddaramaiah
On Saturday, Siddaramaiah said that Neha's murder is not a case of "love jihad" as alleged by the BJP. "This is not a case of love jihad. I condemn the incident. We have arrested the culprit, the investigation is going on seriously and we will punish the culprit. BJP is using this issue for politics, it is condemnable that a political party (BJP) is using the murder of a girl for political purposes," the CM said.
2 held for online post on Neha, Khondunaik
Meanwhile, police on Saturday arrested two men for posting content online which claimed that Neha was in a relationship with Khondunaik. The arrest came after a few Hindu activists lodged a complaint against the two men. To recall, Niranjan had earlier said that Neha was just friends with the accused and the two were "not lovers." However, Khondunaik's mother Mumtaz has said that the two were in a relationship and that she knew about it since last year.
