Fayaz should face punishment for his crime as per law of the land, says mother

DHARWAD: Fayaz Babasaheb Khondunayak, who brutally stabbed BVB College student Neha Hiremath to death on her college campus on Thursday, should be punished for his crime as per law, his mother Mumtaz has said.

With tears in her eyes, Mumtaz, a teacher, said she apologises to the entire state for her son’s crime. “My son would be with his group of friends, but Neha herself became friends with Fayaz. He was a brilliant student and wanted to purse civil services. But he fell in love with Neha and went into depression after she started distancing herself”, Mumtaz claimed.

“We are teachers and we teach other children, but I am very hurt that our own son has committed such an act. Because of his crime, we have to hang our heads in shame”, she said.

Further, Mumtaz said she had spoken to Neha only once on phone. “She spoke well and was a good girl. I told her to pursue studies and stand on her own feet. When Fayaz told me that he was in love with Neha, I advised him against it and to first find a job. Neha also distanced herself from my son”.

“One of my acquaintace called me on that day and asked me to check the news on television. That’s when I came to know about Fayaz’s deed. I was shocked that my son had committed such a dastardly act. He had said he would find a job for himself, but instead he killed her. I was very hurt”, Mumtaz said.

She claimed that after Neha started maintaining her distance from Fayaz, he went into depression and would not eat much. “Whenever I questioned him why he hadn’t eaten, he would say he was not hungry. I had never dreamt that he would commit such an act. He told me he would find a job for himself. Only when I saw the television, I came to know what he had committed”, she added.