Hubballi, (Karnataka) April 24 : Karnataka BJP President B.Y. Vijayendra said on Tuesday that the safety of women is under threat in the state.

Talking to mediapersons after paying a visit to the family of Neha Hiremath, who was murdered recently on a college campus in Hubballi, Vijayendra said, 'The Karnataka government should take the matter seriously to instill a sense of confidence among the mothers and daughters of the state. Similar incidents have also been reported from other parts of the state."

Neha (23), the daughter of Congress councillor Niranjan Hiremath, was stabbed to death on the campus of BVB College in Hubballi on Thursday. The accused, Fayaz Khondunaik, who fled from the scene, was arrested by the police subsequently.

Vijayendra added that when Congress MLA Akhanda Srinivas Murthy's residence was torched in 2020, the Congress was in power in the state with Siddaramaiah as the Chief Minister, and D.K. Shivakumar as the state Congress President.

"Even then, the state government did not bother to stand with its MLA. The Congress did not protect the interests of its party MLA fearing that the sentiments of the minorities will be hurt. This is the culture of the Congress," Vijayendra said.

'While we demanded the Neha murder case be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the state government handed it over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). The probe is moving at a slow pace,' he added.

The BJP leader also said that no family in the state should undergo sufferings like Neha's family.

"The parents of Neha have demanded strict action against the killer of their daughter. There is no need to politicise the issue. A murder is a murder, and the killers must be punished. The state government should take the case seriously and hand over the probe to the CBI,' Vijayendra said.

/IANS