Congress leader Randeep Surjewala visits Neha’s house, assures justice to family
Hubballi (Karnataka), Apr 24: Congress general secretary and Karnataka in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala on Wednesday visited the house of slain student Neha Hiremath and assured justice to her family.
Neha (23), daughter of Congress corporator Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death by her former classmate on the premises of her college in Dharwad on April 18, sparking widespread protests.
Surjewala, who was accompanied by Law Minister H K Patil and other leaders, visited Neha’s house here to express condolences and ensured her family that the accused will be punished at the earliest.
Taking to the social media platform ‘X’, he said, "Neha was Karnataka’s daughter, our daughter…. Visited Neha’s house in Hubballi today to express our condolences, share the unbearable grief with her father Niranjan Hiremath, her mother, brother and family members".
Assuring her father, the Congress leader posted: "Niranjan Hiremath that he is part of our family and we stand shoulder to shoulder with the family in this hour of grief. We assured the family that Karnataka Congress Government has handed over the case to the CID. CM and the Government have decided to hand over the matter for trial to a Special Court. Law Minister also informed that Government will ensure conclusion of trial within 90 to 120 days by asking for a day to day trial."
Surjewala also said that the state government and the Special Public Prosecutor will ask the court to award capital punishment of death by hanging for the murderer.
"It is our duty to ensure justice for Neha... so that no one can think of ever committing such a heinous crime again," he added.
The incident snowballed into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP in Karnataka. While the ruling party has tried to project it as an "incident with a personal angle", the saffron party suspects "love jihad" and said that it points to the "deterioration of law and order" in the state.
ನೇಹಾ ಹಿರೇಮಠ್ ನಮ್ಮ ಮಗಳು ನಮ್ಮ ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದ ಮಗಳು
— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) April 24, 2024
ಇಂದು ಹುಬ್ಬಳ್ಳಿಯಲ್ಲಿರುವ ನೇಹಾರವರ ಮನೆಗೆ ಭೇಟಿ ನೀಡಿ ಅವರ ತಂದೆ ಶ್ರೀ ನಿರಂಜನ ಹಿರೇಮಠ, ಅವರ ತಾಯಿ, ಸಹೋದರ ಹಾಗೂ ಕುಟುಂಬಸ್ಥರಿಗೆ ಸಾಂತ್ವಾನ ಹೇಳಿ ನೇಹಾರವರ ಸಾವಿಗೆ ನನ್ನ ಸಂತಾಪ ಸೂಚಿಸಿದೆ.
ಈ ಸಂದರ್ಭದಲ್ಲಿ ನನ್ನೊಂದಿಗೆ ಕಾನೂನು ಸಚಿವರಾದ ಎಚ್.ಕೆ.ಪಾಟೀಲ್, ಜಿಲ್ಲಾ ಉಸ್ತುವಾರಿ… pic.twitter.com/Li2p2hVs52
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After arriving from Delhi, Shinde heads to his native village; Mahayuti meet likely on Sun
Mumbai(PTI): Outgoing Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde, who returned to Mumbai from New Delhi on Friday morning, is travelling to his native village in Satara district amid continuing suspense over his successor a week after the assembly poll results.
Shinde had told reporters in New Delhi on late Thursday night that the next meeting of the Mahayuti alliance on government formation will be held in Mumbai on Friday.
However, the caretaker CM, who heads the Shiv Sena, is travelling to his native village Dare in Satara district in western Maharashtra and the meeting is now expected to take place on Sunday, the sources said.
The Shiv Sena leader has repeatedly said he would not be an obstacle in the government formation and abide by the decisions taken by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the next chief minister.
Different viewpoints are emerging in the Shiv Sena over Shinde's place in the next government to be headed by the BJP, the biggest constituent in the Mahayuti, which posted a thumping win in the just-held assembly polls.
Many leaders in the Shiv Sena are asking Shinde to accept deputy CM's post if offered by the BJP. However, another section feels it wouldn't be right for him to accept No. 2 position after serving as CM for more than two-and-a-half years, the sources said.
"The government formation process will start after the BJP announces its legislature party leader," they said.
During his Delhi trip, Shinde had met Shah and discussed formation of the next government in the state. His deputies in the outgoing state cabinet Devendra Fadnavis (BJP) and Ajit Pawar (NCP) had also met the senior BJP leader.
Talking to reporters in the national capital, Shinde called the discussion “good and positive”.
Shinde, Fadnavis and Pawar had also met BJP president J P Nadda.
