Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Tuesday spoke to the father of slain student Neha Hiremath over phone and said “sorry” for the killing of his daughter and assured that “we will be on your side”.
The Chief Minister also informed Niranjan Hiremath, who is also a member of the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Congress Council, about the government’s decision to hand over the murder case to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and set up a special court for speedy trial. .
“Niranjan… I am very sorry. We will be on your side,” Siddaramaiah told Hiremath during a phone call during Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister HK Patil’s visit to Hiremath’s home here. In the conversation on Patil’s phone with the speakers on, Siddaramaiah is heard informing Hiremath about the CID investigation and the setting up of a special court.
“It is a serious crime…By setting up a special court, we will ensure punishment for the accused.” Hiremath thanked Siddaramaiah on behalf of his family supporters and the community for handing over the case to the CID and setting up a special court. “…Make sure an order is issued as soon as possible and give us justice,” he said while also thanking Patil, Home Minister G Parameshwara, local Congress MLA Prasad Abbayya and others for their support.
To this, Siddaramaiah replied, “We will arrange it as soon as possible.” In a shocking incident, Neha Hiremath (23) was stabbed to death on the BVB College campus last Thursday. The accused, Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled the scene, was subsequently arrested by the police. Neha was a first year Master of Computer Application (MCA) student and Fayaz was her classmate earlier.
Siddaramaih on Monday announced that his government has decided to hand over the investigation into the incident to the Crime Investigation Department and set up a special court to dispose of the case expeditiously.
The brutal murder case, which sparked widespread outrage, has snowballed between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. While the ruling party tried to project it as an incident with a personal angle, the saffron party called it a case of “love jihad” and said it was a testimony to the deterioration of law and order in the state. Earlier, Siddarmaiah’s statement that the murder was due to “personal reasons” and Home Minister G Parameshwara’s comments that the couple were in love had drawn sharp reactions from Hiremath, family members and opposition parties.
