Congress Under Fire As Leader Alleges 'Love Jihad' After Daughter's Murder

The gruesome murder of a Karnataka corporator's daughter has become the latest flashpoint between the Congress and the BJP. The Congress leader's daughter was stabbed seven times by a former student of the college she was attending in Hubbali. Cops suspect that he murdered her because she rejected his advances.

Neha Hiremath, 23, was a first-year student of Master of Computer Applications and Fayaz Khondunaik was earlier her classmate. According to a senior police officer, Fayaz, who stabbed her multiple times, claimed during interrogation the two had been in a relationship but she had been avoiding him of late.

The issue has snowballed into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and the opposition BJP. While the ruling party has tried to project it as an incident from a personal angle, the BJP has said it shows the deterioration of law and order in the state.

Union Minister and Dharwad Lok Sabha BJP candidate Pralhad Joshi suspected that there was a love jihad angle behind the incident.

There is a complete deterioration of law and order under the Congress regime, he alleged, urging Chief Minister Siddaramaiah to stop minority appeasement politics and special treatment to a "particular community." However, Home Minister G Parameshwara said there was no "love jihad" angle as of now.

What has exacerbated the state government's troubles is the girl's father also calling the crime a 'Love Jihad' case. Niranjan Hiremath, a Congress corporator, claimed that the accused had planned to "trap his daughter".

"The gang had conspired for a long time. They had planned either to trap her or to execute her. They have been threatening her in that backdrop. However, the girl had not heeded to their threats," Mr Hiremath told the media.

"The whole state and country witnessed what happened to my daughter. If they say that it is personal, what is personal in this? Are they my relatives?" he added.

Union Minister Meenakshi Lekhi also launched a scathing attacking attack on the Congress government in the state saying that the C in the party's name stands for "corruption, criminality, and communal violence."

"For any government, it is a salient duty to ensure that our children acquire the proper moral and ethical lessons in schools. Even the people should have requisite awareness in this regard," the BJP MP told news agency ANI.

"People should have the belief that the law and machinery of a state will ensure that those who do wrong are brought to book. However, the Congress has failed abjectly in this regard (in Karnataka)," she added.

The Congress retorted by saying that the state has the best law and order and the BJP was trying to impose the Governor's rule in Karnataka.

"The BJP is trying to threaten us... Karnataka has the best law and order... They want to tell voters that they're going to impose Governor's rule. That's what R Ashoka (BJP leader and Leader of the Opposition) is trying confidentially. They want to place the state under the Governor's rule, that's why they are doing all this drama. But they can't do that. It's impossible," Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister DK Shivakumar said.

A large group of right-wing activists have also been protesting outside Hubballi's Vidyanagar police station and shouting slogans. Similar protests, calling for severe punishment for the Muslim accused, have been reported in various other places.