Karnataka Bandh: BJP, Muslim Associations Call For Protests Over Neha Hiremath Murder

Amidst the key 2024 election polls, Karnataka's chief minister Siddaramaiah and his government face backlash over the handling of the Neha Hiremath murder case. The opposition, BJP is now being joined by Muslim associations in the state, to call for a bandh on Monday, April 22, 2024, condemning the murder of a 23-year-old MCA student.

BY Vijayendra, the Karnataka party's president through his X handler asked BJP workers to keep aside the election works and take the protest to the streets on Monday.

He tweeted saying, "In the hustle and bustle of elections, we cannot ignore the cases of cruelty to girls, blasphemy and attacks on national devotees. The killing of Neha Hiremath of Hubballi is the most brutal incident. The public demands that the police should investigate this from all angles."

Further, Vijayendra also expressed disappointment over the way the ruling party, Congress reacted to the case lightly. While Hiremath case has captured state-wide attention and sparked various protests against the killing.

Also, the former Karnataka chief minister BS Yediyurappa told ANI that "State government is not bothered about anything. They are not taking it seriously. They must take it seriously and take further action."

Moreover, while condemning the murder of Neha Hiremath, BJP MP, Umesh G Jadhav, who is currently competing for the Lok Sabha 2024 seat through Kalaburagi region, told ANI that "This incident should not just be condemned by society but by the entire 140 crore people. It's quite unfortunate that some Karnataka Congress leaders are trying to give it some colour...A Congress corporator said that the party is attempting to give a different colour and hurting the soul of the deceased. Yesterday, in Karnataka's Gulbarga a strike occurred and we sat on the road for 3-4 hours to condemn this incident."

Joining the saffron party in the state, Dharwad-based Anjuman-e-Islam President Esmail Tamatgar said, on Monday, we will observe bandh. Chicken shops, garage workshops, fruit vendors, banks, and institutions will remain closed to condole the death and show our solidarity with the family. We will put up 'Justice for Neha' stickers at our shops. This was reported by PTI.

Tamatgar also said that all businessmen from the Muslim community will observe the bandh from 10 am to 3 pm, offering their condolences to the deceased Neha.

What about schools and banks? The ruling government has not released any circulars over bank holidays and shut down of schools on Monday in light of the state-wide protests.

Neha Hiremath Case:

Neha, a 23-year-old first-year MCA student, was stabbed multiple times to death by her former classmate Fayaz Khondunaik on April 18. The daughter of Congress Councillor of Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation Niranjan Hiremath was reportedly in a relationship with Fayaz.

However, Fayaz have been captured by the police after attempting to flee the crime scene.

Currently, the case is under investigation, however, there have been public protests over regions like Hubballi, and Dharwad, among other places. Also, two arrests have been made after a few Hindu activists filed a complaint against two males' social media posts where they claimed that the deceased Neha and culprit Fayaz were in a relationship.