Bengaluru: After the daughter of a Congress corporator in Karnataka was stabbed to death by a former classmate, the father of the accused expressed remorse and called for his son to be "punished in such a way that no man thinks of harassing a woman." The accused, Fayaz, allegedly killed Neha Hiremath, the victim, for rejecting his advances.

Baba Saheb Subani, Fayaz's father, stated that he was shocked by the incident and said that his son should be punished to deter others from committing similar acts. He also apologised to Neha's family, describing her as a daughter to him.

Niranjan Hiremath, Neha's father, revealed that Fayaz had been pressuring Neha to accept his proposal, which she had refused. Despite warnings from Neha's family and others, the harassment continued, leading to Neha's tragic death.

The incident took place on the campus of KLE Technological University, where both Neha and Fayaz were students. Fayaz, who was injured during the attack, was arrested and placed in 14-day judicial custody.

The murder has sparked protests, with demands for justice and safety for women on campus. Members of the Muslim community also staged a protest, calling for severe punishment for the accused.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah condemned the incident and directed the state DGP to take stern action against the accused. Leader of Opposition R Ashoka criticised the state's law and order situation, while former chief minister Basavaraj Bommai called for the formation of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate the incident.

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Mirzapur (UP) (PTI): BJP president Nitin Nabin on Wednesday voiced confidence that his party will form the government in West Bengal with a "thumping majority".

Polling is underway for 142 constituencies in the second and final phase of the West Bengal assembly elections, covering key districts, including Kolkata, Howrah and North and South 24 Parganas.

The high-stakes contest is being seen as decisive for the ruling TMC's bid for a fourth consecutive term and the BJP's push to form its first government in the state. The first phase held on April 23 recorded a high voter turnout of over 93 per cent, reflecting intense electoral engagement.

Speaking to reporters in Mirzapur, Nabin said, "The BJP will form the government in Bengal. We are winning the elections with a massive majority."

Earlier in the day, the BJP chief visited the Vindhyavasini temple and offered prayers. The rituals were conducted by his priest Acharya Agastya Kumar Dwivedi.

On his first visit to the district after assuming office, Nabin was welcomed by party workers at several places. At the temple, he was received by city MLA Ratnakar Mishra and District Magistrate Pawan Kumar Gangwar, who felicitated him with a traditional 'angvastram'.

After offering prayers for about 10 minutes amid Vedic chants, Nabin held a meeting at a hotel with local MLAs, including Mishra, Majhwan MLA Suchismita Maurya and Madihan MLA Ramashankar Patel.

Patel said Nabin emphasised strengthening the organisation and asked public representatives to focus on serving people in their respective constituencies.

Several party leaders, including district president Lal Bahadur Saroj, district vice-president Gaurav Umar, municipal chairperson Shyam Sundar Kesari, women workers and senior officials, were present on the occasion.

Elaborate security arrangements were put in place by the district administration for the visit, with multiple officers of circle officer rank deployed, officials said.