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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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
