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Karnataka CM Siddaramiah (R) had rejected angle of ‘love jihad’ surrounding murder of Congress Councillor (L) Niranjan Hiremath’s daughter Neha (C).
Congress Councillor criticises state govt for failing to apprehend his daughter’s killers. BJP Chief supports CBI probe demand in Hubballi murder case
In a scathing rebuke of his own party, Congress Councillor Niranjan Hiremath said on Sunday that he openly named eight people, whom he believes are involved in his daughter’s murder. However, the Karnataka government has failed to apprehend them.
Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress Councillor from Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation (HDMC) and a first-year Master of Computer Applications (MCA) student at KLE Technological University in Hubballi, was killed by her former classmate Fayaz at her college earlier this month. Neha’s murder on the campus of her college here sparked widespread condemnation and protests across the state.
#WATCH | Karnataka: On the murder of his daughter in her college premises, Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation, Niranjan Hiremath says, “I have given the names of 8 people openly. They have not even caught one person. I am losing faith now. They are… pic.twitter.com/rycJhQG5Z3— ANI (@ANI) April 21, 2024
‘I am losing faith now’
“I have given the names of 8 people openly. They have not even caught one person,” he told news agency ANI. “I am losing faith now. They are trying to divert my case. Give it to CBI if you cannot do it… The commissioner in this case is a lady, even then she is not taking a girl’s murder seriously… She is working under some pressure… I demand the commissioner should be transferred for negligence in the case… I demand that the case should be given to CBI.”
On Sunday, BJP National President JP Nadda reiterated the Congress Councillor’s demand for a CBI probe. Nadda raised this issue during a visit to the residence of Niranjan Hiremath. While speaking with the reporters, the BJP chief alleged that the Karnataka government is trying to influence the probe to dilute the case.
‘Shocking incident’
“This is a shocking incident and we condemn it…CM Siddaramaiah’s and Home Minister G Parameshwara’s statements on this incident are objectionable. Their statements dilute the investigation. The people of Karnataka will not spare the current government for its appeasement politics. The state government should hand over the case to the CBI if the State Police is incapable of a fair probe. Hiremath has also demanded a CBI inquiry into the incident as he has less faith in the State police,” Nadda was quoted as saying by ANI.
The murder of Neha has snowballed into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP in Karnataka. This case could prove to be damning for Congress during the election season. While the ruling party has tried to project it as an “incident with a personal angle”, the saffron party branded it “love jihad” and said it points to the “deterioration of law and order” in the state.
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