Neha Hiremath murder: BJP chief JP Nadda visits Congress councillor's house, meets grieving family
Neha Hiremath, daughter of a Congress councillor, was fatally stabbed by her former classmate Mohammad Fayazz at BVB College in Hubbali, Karnataka.
The Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda on Sunday went to meet the family of Neha Hiremath, who was murdered on her college campus. The daughter of Congress councillor Niranjan Hiremath was fatally stabbed by her former classmate Mohammad Fayazz at BVB College in Hubbali, Karnataka. The accused was apprehended by the police following the incident.
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“BJP expresses deep sorrow and extends its condolences to the aggrieved family. We assure you that justice will be served,” Nadda said.
"We condemn the statements made by chief minister Siddaramaiah and state home minister G Parameshwara. Their remarks epitomise appeasement...," the BJP chief added.
BJP accuses Congress govt of being soft
The BJP accused the state's Congress government of being soft on anti-social elements and of portraying the incident as personal reasons, while they alleged a "love jihad" angle.
BJP state president BY Vijayendra said that the incident appears to be a case of “love jihad” at first glance. He criticised the chief minister for “protecting the culprits instead of conducting a thorough investigation”.
Not a case of love jihad: Karnataka CM
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah rejected any love jihad angle and said that the state is committed to maintaining law and order. "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. We have taken care of law and order seriously to maintain peace and harmony. 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 chief minister said on Sunday.
ALSO READ- Neha Hiremath murder: Accused's parents apologise to victim's family
Muslim bodies to observe bandh
Muslim organisations in the area have called for a strike on Monday to protest the murder of the 23-year-old college student. Esmail Tamatgar, president of Anjuman-e-Islam in Dharwad, announced that all Muslim community businesses will observe the strike from 10 am to 3 pm to express condolences and condemn the brutal incident. "Tomorrow we will observe a strike. Chicken shops, garage workshops, fruit vendors, banks, and institutions will remain closed as a sign of solidarity and to demand justice for Neha," Tamatgar said.
The voting date for the Dharwad Lok Sabha constituency election is May 7, which falls in the third phase.