HUBBALLI: The accused in the murder case of Neha Hiremath, daughter of HDMC Congress corporator Niranjan Hiremath, was sent to six days in custody of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
On April 18, Neha (23) was stabbed to death allegedly by her former classmate Fayaz Khodunayak on the campus of BVB College in Hubballi, where she was a first-year MCA student. The police arrested Fayaz within hours of the incident and produced him before a magistrate, who sent him to 14-day judicial custody.
The CID was on Wednesday granted six-day custody of Fayaz after which he was brought to Hubballi from Dharwad. While police investigation suggests Neha and Fayaz were in a relationship, her family members have said that he was pestering her and that she had rejected his marriage proposal.
Niranjan Hiremath has demanded the death penalty for the accused. “Today, Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala came and said that they are with me. I thank him for coming. He said that the case would be heard in a fast-track court. I demand that the accused should be given the death penalty”, he said.
The BJP has slammed the Congress, raising allegations of deterioration of the law and order situation, ‘love jihad’ and minority appeasement.
“Why does Congress prioritize vote bank protection over women’s safety? This isn’t the first time. When there was a blast at The Rameshwaram Cafe, Congress was more concerned about vote banks, not public safety. When people were beaten for saying ‘Ram Ram’ during Ram Navami, Congress stood with the vote bank. When ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ slogans were raised, Congress stood with the vote bank. But from Bengal to Bengaluru, Congress leaders don’t stand with women or with Neha”, BJP’s national spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla earlier said. (ANI)