Murder of Neha Hiremath, Karnataka Love Jihad: Congress Under Fire as Leader Alleges Love Jihad After Daughter’s Murder

Neha Hiremath, a 23-year-old first-year student of Master of Computer Applications, was stabbed seven times by a former student of the college she was attending in Hubbali. The suspected motive behind the murder was the perpetrator’s anger over her rejection of his advances. The suspect, Fayaz Khondunaik, a former classmate of Neha, claimed during interrogation that they had been in a relationship, but she had recently been avoiding him.

The incident has sparked a political debate between the ruling Congress party and the opposition BJP. Union Minister and BJP candidate Pralhad Joshi suggested a possible “love jihad” angle and criticized the deterioration of law and order under the Congress regime. However, Home Minister G Parameshwara denied any “love jihad” angle, while Niranjan Hiremath, Neha’s father and a Congress corporator, labeled it as a “Love Jihad” case, alleging that the accused had planned to trap his daughter.

Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi accused the Congress government of failing to ensure proper moral and ethical lessons in schools, while the Congress defended the state’s law and order, accusing the BJP of attempting to impose Governor’s rule in Karnataka. The case has also led to protests and calls for severe punishment for the accused, with right-wing activists demonstrating outside the police station and similar protests reported in other places. The incident has drawn attention to the sensitive intersection of personal tragedy, political rhetoric, and societal tensions.