Nadda visits Neha’s parents, demands CBI probe

BJP demands CBI probe into murder of Neha in Karnataka amid concerns over women's safety.

A day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed concern over the attacks on women in Karnataka, BJP national president J.P. Nadda visited the parents of Neha, who was recently murdered on her college premises, and demanded a CBI probe into the episode. Just five days left for the elections to 14 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, the BJP State unit too has decided to up the ante by holding a Statewide protest on Monday against the recent episodes of attacks on women and alleging law and order failure in the Congress regime.

Neha, daughter of Niranjan Hiremath who is the councillor of HDMC and Congress leader, was murdered by a Muslim youth who the police said had resorted to such a brutal measure as she started avoiding him after a brief friendship. However, her parents have alleged that she was murdered for turning down his love.

Mr. Nadda, who visited the victim’s house and spoke to her parents, said “We have reason to believe that the murder probe will not be proper and transparent if the Karnataka police do it. It is because the statements by the Chief Minister and Home Minister are likely to influence probe and derail it. Congress Ministers in Karnataka are giving statements that amount to appeasing the minorities. They could influence the investigation. The State police are incompetent. A CBI probe, however, will be impartial and bring out the truth. Even the victim’s father who is a Congress leader has no faith in the State government. He requested me to hand over the case to the CBI,’” he told reporters.  

Mr. Nadda, who consoled the grieving parents, said: “This is a heart breaking incident and the people of Karnataka will not forgive this. Our sympathies are with them. I told the parents that the whole country is with them.” 

BJP State president B.Y. Vijayendra remarked that women were not safe under the Congress regime and “violence, crime and murders” were the guarantees that the Congress government had given to the peace-loving citizens of the State. 

His father and BJP Parliamentary Board Member B.S. Yediyurappa expressed concern over the increasing incidents of attack against women in the Congress regime and accused the government of trying to protect the accused rather than giving a free hand to the police to investigate. 

He said the Siddaramaiah government that had given various poll guarantees had actually taken away the guarantee of right to life of Kannadigas.