Stalker stabs Hubballi-Dharwad councillor’s daughter to death inside college

In a shocking incident, a 24-year-old student was stabbed to death by a former classmate in her college in Karnataka's Hubballi on Thursday, April 18. The victim, Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress Corporator Niranjan Hiremath, succumbed to multiple stab wounds inflicted by Fayaz, who was lying in wait for her outside the college.

Despite the efforts of college authorities and fellow students to rush Neha to the hospital, she succumbed to her injuries en route. Neha, a first-year MCA student at KLE Technological University where the incident occurred, was declared dead upon arrival at the Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) Hospital.

The accused Fayaz, who is from Savadatti in Belagavi district, was captured on CCTV footage carrying out the vicious attack before fleeing the scene. He was arrested within hours of the attack by the police and further inquiry is underway.

According to police sources, Fayaz and Neha were friends and classmates while they were pursuing BCA at KLE Technological University. Neha eventually began avoiding Fayaz after he tried to initiate a romantic relationship with her on multiple occasions. Neha was also stopped from attending college over the issue after her parents found out and had warned Fayaz to keep away from their daughter. Neha began coming to college to attend her MCA exams when Fayaz stabbed her.

Renuka Sukumar, Hubballi-Dharwad Commissioner of Police, said, "We have arrested the suspect and will begin interrogation to gather further information. Initial reports suggest that the victim and the accused knew each other and studied together, as corroborated by other students. Despite the accused fleeing the crime scene, our quick response led to his capture within one hour of the incident. The suspect will be presented in court soon. We remain vigilant regarding any developments and are fully prepared to handle the situation.”

A group of students led by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) staged a protest in front of the university, demanding severe punishment for the accused. Late on Thursday night, members of Hindutva organisations also gathered in front of the Vidyanagar Police Station to demand that the police transfer custody of the accused to them. They also urged lawyers in the city to refrain from representing the accused in court.