Hubballi murder: Accused's father apologises to Neha's family
Hubballi (Karnataka) (PTI): Demanding maximum punishment for his son, the father of 23-year-old Fayaz, who allegedly killed the daughter of a Congress councillor inside a college campus in Hubballi, has apologised to the victim's family and said his son should be given strict punishment.
Baba Saheb Subani, a school teacher and Fayaz's father told media on Saturday that he came to know about the incident around 6 pm on Thursday and was completely shocked and shattered with his son's act.
"He (Fayaz) should be punished in a way that no one dares to do such a thing in future. With folded hands, I apologise to Neha's family members. She was like my daughter," he said with teary eyes.
Subani said that he and his wife have been living separately for the past six years and that Fayaz stayed with his mother and called him whenever he needed money. He last spoke to his son about three months ago.
Fayaz's father recalled that around eight months ago, Neha's family had called him to inform that his son was troubling their daughter.
Admitting that his son made a mistake, he said that Fayaz and Neha loved each other and were in a relationship.
"Fayaz told me he wanted to marry her but I refused it with folded hands," he added.
Condemning his son's act, Fayaz's father said that no one should commit any such atrocities against women.
"I request the people of Karnataka to forgive me. My son has done wrong. He will be punished by the law of the land and I welcome it. My town has got a black mark because of my son. People of Munavalli (Fayaz's hometown) please forgive me. You raised us. Please forgive me," he cried with folded hands.
However, the victim's family has been demanding that the accused be hanged to death and only then will their daughter's soul rest in peace. They maintained that their daughter was not in a relationship with Fayaz and said the accused stabbed Neha because she rejected his proposal.
There were protests in several parts of the state demanding capital punishment for Fayaz, who has been arrested in connection with the incident that occurred on April 18.
The alleged murder of the daughter of the city corporation councillor on her college campus has sparked widespread condemnation and protests.
The issue has snowballed into a political slugfest between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP in Karnataka.Neha was allegedly stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College on Thursday.
The accused Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled the scene, was arrested by police subsequently.
Neha was a first-year MCA student and Fayaz was her former classmate.
According to a senior police officer, Fayaz allegedly stabbed her multiple times. During interrogation, he claimed that the two had been in a relationship but she had been avoiding him of late.
"It needs to be corroborated and verified, but he was arrested immediately," the officer said.
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I hope my little joke is not seen as expertise: Kasparov after post on Gandhi goes viral
New Delhi (PTI): Russian chess great Garry Kasparov hoped that his "little joke" on Indian politics does not pass for "advocacy or expertise" after his cheeky social media post on Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's love for the game went viral.
Within hours of asking Gandhi to "first win Rae Bareli before challenging for the top", the 61-year-old said it was just a joke and should be seen as one.
"I very much hope my little joke does not pass for advocacy or expertise in Indian politics! But as an 'all-seeing monster with 1000 eyes,' as I was once described, I cannot fail to see a politician dabbling in my beloved game!" the former world champion, who retired in 2005, wrote in response to a post by actor Ranvir Shorey.
Shorey's comment appeared to be a dig at Gandhi's recent assertion that he was the best chess player among all Indian politicians. Kasparov gave the same reply to a few other accounts which commented on his original post.
The Congress recently shared a video of Gandhi playing chess on his mobile phone while on the Lok Sabha election campaign trail. The MP from Wayanad named Kasparov as his favourite chess player and drew parallels between the game and politics.
A user on X made a cheeky comment on his page, which read "feel so relieved that @Kasparov63 and @vishy64theking retired early and didn't have to face the greatest chess genius of our times."
Kasparov, rather unusually, originally responded to that post.
"Traditional (sic) dictates that you should first win from Raebareli before challenging for the top," wrote the fierce critic of Russian President Vladimir Putin who is based in Croatia after fleeing his country.
Gandhi, while naming Kasparov as his favourite chess player, described him as a "non-linear thinker" in the Congress video.
"...once you get slightly better at it, the opponent's pieces actually operate almost like your own," he said, drawing comparison between chess and politics.
He filed his nomination from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh on Friday and is also contesting from Wayanad.
A former world number one for a record 255 weeks, Kasparov became the youngest-ever undisputed world champion at the age of 22 in 1985 and is a political activist now.
The iconic player is a contemporary of Indian great Viswanathan Anand.
Recently, when 17-year-old D Gukesh bettered his record of becoming the youngest challenger to the world title by winning the Candidates Tournament in Toronto, Kasparov had put out a congratulatory post on X.
He described Gukesh as "the Indian earthquake in Toronto".
