A political controversy has arisen from the murder of Karnataka college student Neha Hiremath by her former classmate Fayaz. The ruling Congress vehemently rejects the accusation, while the opposition BJP has labeled it a case of ‘love jihad.’
A political firestorm has erupted in the state following the death of a Karnataka Congress corporator’s daughter within a Hubballi college campus. The opposition BJP and the Congress government are at odds over accusations of ‘love jihad.’
On Thursday, Fayaz attacked 23-year-old Neha, a Masters of Computer Applications (MCA) student, on the campus of BVB College in Hubballi. CCTV footage saw Fayaz repeatedly stabbing Neha before he ran away. According to the police, Fayaz, who was later taken into custody, repeatedly stabbed the woman till she died.
BACKSTORY
Niranjan Hiremath, the victim’s father, stated that the family knew Fayaz, the accused, and that they had even attempted to talk him out of going after Neha.
“He was an old student, and he had proposed to my daughter, but she rejected his proposal,” Hiremath said. She did not like him, and she usually stayed away from all this… She refused his proposal, saying they both belonged to different castes and that she did not wish to have any relationship with him. Out of anger, he stabbed my daughter.”
He continued, “The motive of the murder is that the victim rejected the accused’s love proposal… We had a conversation with the accused before the incident took place where we explained to him that we are Hindu and you are Muslim, so we cannot allow you to get married.”
WATCH HERE:
#WATCH | Congress Corporator and father of the deceased, Niranjan Hiremath says “After my daughter’ was returning from college, an unknown person came and stabbed him 7 times and she died on the spot. The accused has already been arrested. The motive of the murder is that the… pic.twitter.com/ueqFcIuWxs
— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2024
“LAW AND ORDER IS NOT THERE”
Attacking the Siddaramaiah-led Congress administration, the BJP said that it was prioritizing appeasement politics over maintaining law and order.
#WATCH | Karnataka: On a college student hacked to death in Hubballi campus, Deputy CM DK Shivakumar says “BJP is trying to threaten by showing that there is no law and order in Karnataka. Karnataka has the best law and order. They are just trying to tell the voters that they are… pic.twitter.com/FLFnZ921yw
— ANI (@ANI) April 19, 2024
The term “love jihad,” coined by Hindutva organizations, refers to a partnership in which a Muslim man and a non-Muslim woman exist, in which the Muslim partner wants to convert the non-Muslim.