The horrific murder of Neha Hiremath, the Karnataka-born daughter of Congress leader Niranjan Hiremath, by her jilted lover Fayaz has sparked massive statewide outrage and brought attention to the perilous phenomenon of Love Jihad plaguing society. The devastated father has himself acknowledged on national television that his daughter has fallen prey to this treacherous ploy. He also voiced his discontent and vexation with the leaders of his own party for negating the Love Jihad angle in his daughter’s case.
He requested HM G Parameshwar and Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to exercise caution and retract their comments that downplayed the religious angle in his daughter’s horrific death and instead attributed it to ‘personal reasons’.
Retorting strongly to Home Minister G Parameshwar’s remarks where he denied any religious angle in the case and suggested that the murder of Neha Hiremath stemmed from a mutual love relationship gone awry, Niranjan Hiremath said on Friday, that by making such remarks, the Home Minister is tainting his daughter’s image.
“By making such statements, my daughter’s honour should not be tainted, because I know my daughter well. I am a Congress corporator, I am not from some other party. Our Home Minister has given such statements due to wrong information. I request the Home Minister to correct his statement. If you want to get votes by giving such statements, it is not right. I am a people’s representative, I am your party’s representative and I’m not from any other party. It has happened in my own house, so how can I protect other people?” Niranjan Hiremath told reporters.
ಓಲೈಕೆಗೋಸ್ಕರ ಒಬ್ಬ ಗೃಹ ಸಚಿವ ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಾನೆ ಅಂದ್ರೆ, ಕಾಂಗ್ರೆಸ್ ಯಾವ ಕೀಳು ಮಟ್ಟದ ರಾಜಕಾರಣ ಮಾಡ್ತದೆ ಅರ್ಥಮಾಡಿಕೊಳ್ಳಿ!
— #prakash Modi ka Parivar/Modi’s Family (@bellhampi) April 19, 2024
ಅವನ ಮಗಳಿಗೆ ಆಗಿದ್ರೆ ಹೀಗೆ ಹೇಳ್ತಿದ್ನಾ – ನೊಂದ ಪೋಷಕರ ಮಾತು pic.twitter.com/O051GByaA0
Notably, the Karnataka Home Minister had asserted that it was a case of mutual love between the victim and the perpetrator. He recounted that when the girl decided to end the relationship and walk away, the accused resorted to violence. “I don’t see love jihad there,” Parameshwar stated firmly.
"Fayaz stabbed Neha because he was afraid that she might get married to someone else. Hence calling it a love jihad is wrong – Home Minister of Karnataka"
— Mr Sinha (Modi's family) (@MrSinha_) April 19, 2024
Neha was the daughter of his own party men but for these people, appeasement politics is more important than anything else. pic.twitter.com/MJPk0BQ1v0
Similarly, the Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah also said that the Hubbali campus murder occurred due to personal reasons.
“Whatever murder happened is due to personal reasons. The law and order situation is very good in Karnataka, It is our duty to maintain law and order and we are doing it,” the CM said.
Earlier in the day, Congress leader Niranjan Hiremath had emphatically stated that his daughter had fallen prey to Love Jihad. In fact, concerned by the alarming rise in Love Jihad cases across the nation, the Congress leader urged parents to exercise caution and keep a careful eye on their daughter’s whereabouts.
“Yes, incidents are taking place on these lines. When we see incidents around us, brutality is on the rise. I feel that Love Jihad is spreading rapidly. I don’t know why are the youngsters deviating. I had one daughter and one son. They were like my two eyes. I shouldn’t be telling this, but I have lost my daughter. I request that another woman/girl should not go through the same. Because we have also seen how devastated everyone is when they lose their child.”
Love jihad spreading, take care of your girls: K’taka Cong Corporator and father of murder victim pic.twitter.com/i6eXX5Jjom
— IANS (@ians_india) April 19, 2024
“My house is grieving now. I don’t know what kind of bad luck this is, but it has happened. I tell all the parents and mothers, that if you send your daughter to study, you also go to college, see what your daughter is doing, and if anyone is behind them. I pray that what has happened to my daughter does not happen to any other girl. Because it is sensitive these days, girls should learn,” he added.
Fifty per cent of girls will have possibilities in the future from the government, while thirty-three per cent of girls are already on the list of applicants. Girls are ahead of boys in every aspect of life; how will they learn from something like this? Thus, I beg all parents, leaders, and the state government to stop something similar from occurring. I implore them to act appropriately,” said the Congress leader.
Background of the case
24-year-old student, Neha was stabbed to death on her college campus on Thursday (18th April). The incident took place at B V Bhoomaraddi College of Engineering and Technology in Hubbali, where Neha was studying in her first year of MCA. The attacker Fayaz was a BCA student of the same college and was a classmate of Neha. He is from Savadatti in Belagavi district.
As reported earlier, Fayaz was waiting for her to come out of the college and attacked her with a knife. He stabbed her in the neck multiple times with the knife, which was caught on CCTV camera. He was covering his face with a mask. After the stabbing which left Neha profusely bleeding, the assailant fled the scene with the weapon in his hand.
The victim was rushed to the KIMS Hospital by fellow students who witnessed the horrific crime, but she died there because of the critical injuries.
The police arrested Fayaz who was on the run after the murder, and further probe is underway. The police said that he was planning to kill Neha, as he told his friends that he would finish the girl who had rejected his offer. Given that he chose to stab her in the neck, confirmed that he intended to kill her.
