Fact Check: No Truth In Social Media Posts Saying Karnataka Congress Leaders Haven't Visited Neha Hiremath Home
Neha Hiremath, 21, was stabbed to death allegedly by her former classmate Fayaz Khodunaik on April 18. The matter, which is currently under investigation, has stoked a political row in Karnataka.
The Verdict: False
Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah, state ministers H.K. Patil, Lakshmi Hebbalkar, Santosh Lad, and Congress leader Randeep Surjewala visited the family.
What's the claim?
A 31-second video of Karnataka Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief B.Y. Vijayendra meeting Niranjan Hiremath, father of Neha Hiremath, has been shared to claim that nobody from the Congress party visited him or his family after his daughter was killed on the campus of KLE Technological University in Karnataka’s Hubballi-Dharwad.
The 21-year-old was stabbed to death allegedly by her former classmate Fayaz Khodunaik on April 18, 2024. Khodunaik was arrested by the police and the matter is currently under investigation. Hiremath’s father is a councilor from the Congress party in the Hubballi-Dharwad Municipal Corporation.
The video was shared on X (formerly Twitter) with the caption, “After JP Nadda ji, Karnataka BJP chief Vijayendra visited Neha Hiremath’s house and met his father and Congress leader Niranjan Hiremath. Still not a single person from Congress visited Neha’s house. Not even for formality. Muslim appeasement at highest level. Shame! (sic)"
One such post had garnered around 113,600 views at the time of writing this story.
Archived versions of these posts can be accessed here, here, and here.
However, the claim is not true. Congress minister Santosh Lad was seen with the deceased’s father on April 19 during her final rites. Karnataka Chief Minister (CM) Siddaramaiah, state Congress in-charge Randeep Singh Surjewala, and ministers H.K. Patil and Lakshmi Hebbalkar, too, visited the family.
The Congress visits
Congress Minister Santosh Lad was seen with the deceased’s father on April 19 during her final rites. A YouTube video (archived here) by News18 Kannada shows Lad with Niranjan Hiremath.
On April 20, Congress member and Karnataka Minister for Women and Child Welfare Lakshmi Hebbalkar visited the family at their residence. During her visit, she assured Hiremath’s family of justice.
The same day, TV9 Kannada (archived here) also aired a news segment about Hebbalkar’s visit to the Hiremath residence. Following the meeting, the minister expressed that sincere efforts would be made to ensure proper justice for Neha. She stated that an investigation would be conducted, and, as a mother, she said she unequivocally condemned the incident.
Congress general secretary in-charge of Karnataka Randeep Singh Surjewala, with Law Minister H.K. Patil and other leaders visited the Hiremath residence on April 24. Surjewala expressed his condolences, and reassured the family that the accused would be swiftly brought to justice.
Surjewala posted visuals of the meeting on his official X account. (archived here)
Neha Hiremath was Karnataka’s daughter, our daughter !
">
Visited Neha’s house in Hubli today to express our condolences, share the unbearable grief with her father, Sh. Niranjan Hiremath, her mother, brother and family members. Law Minister, Sh. H.K.Patil, Distt Minister, Sh.… pic.twitter.com/JRXuKwdb7y
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah extended his condolences to the Hiremath family during his visit to their residence in Bidanala, Hubballi on April 25. The Hindustan Times reported that Hiremath emphasized the need for heightened security for his family and urged for a prompt judicial process. Additionally, a video of Siddaramaiah’s visit to the Hiremath residence was shared by news agency PTI (archived here) on its X account on the same day.
VIDEO | Karnataka Chief Minister Siddarmaiah (@siddaramaiah) meets the parents of murdered 23-year-old college student Neha Hiremath in Hubballi.
">
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/dv5TRARJn4) pic.twitter.com/n3Bg92RnvP
The BJP visits
On April 21, 2024, J.P. Nadda, the president of the BJP, paid a visit to the Hiremath family and recommended a CBI inquiry. The video can be seen on ANI News’ YouTube channel (archived here).
On April 23, BJP chief B.Y. Vijayendra visited the Hiremath residence. A news segment by Public TV (archived here) featured visuals similar to those of the viral video but from a different angle.
This incident has sparked a political row in Karnataka. While the police investigation reportedly suggests that Hiremath and Khodunaik were in a relationship, her family members have stated that he had been harassing her and that she had turned down his marriage proposal. The ruling Congress party attributes the motive behind the murder to personal reasons, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) alleges that this is a case of “love jihad”, a theory popularised by the right-wing which claims that Muslim men entrap Hindu women in the guise of love and convert them to Islam.
The verdict
Clearly, Congress leaders visited Neha Hiremath’s family after she was fatally stabbed on April 18. While a few visits happened before BJP leaders visited the family, a few of them happened afterwards. Therefore, we have marked the claim as false.
This report first appeared on logicallyfacts.com, and has been republished on ABP Live as part of a special arrangement. Apart from the headline, no changes have been made in the report by ABP Live.
Trending News
Top Headlines
