Hubballi student murder: Shettar sees 'Love Jihad' conspiracy, demands NIA probe

Munavalli, (Belagavi district): Widespread protests seeking severe punishment for the accused in Hubballi student murder, and safety for women continued in Hubballi and many parts of north Karnataka. 

At Munavalli in Belagavi district, former CM Jagadish Shettar, the BJP nominee from Belgaum parliamentary seat, charged that the Hubballi case was a 'Love Jihad' attempt, and blamed the Congress government's appeasement politics for the incident. Munavalli, the hometown of accused Fayaz, witnessed total shutdown for the second consecutive day on Saturday. 

Addressing the protesters, Shettar said, "Neha was a victim of Love Jihad. Many cases do not come to the fore, but the murder of Neha has exposed it. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy Shivakumar claim personal reasons behind the murder. Niranjan Hiremath himself has taken exception to the statements of Siddaramaiah.

It is unfortunate that the Congress government in the state has not been able to stand with its own corporator due to its appeasement and vote bank politics," he charged and sought an NIA probe into the case.