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A month ago, the murder of Neha Hiremath in Hubballi, in Karnataka stirred up strong reactions across the state. The incident, which occurred just days before the first phase of Lok Sabha elections in Karnataka, was amplified by the BJP, leading to protests that took on communal tones with accusations of "love jihad." Media coverage of the incident was extensive, and it became a focal point for criticism of the Congress led Karnataka government by prominent political leaders.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and other prominent leaders highlighted the issue of Neha's murder. Leaders from the BJP and JDS in Karnataka also addressed the incident extensively. However, there has been a conspicuous silence from top leaders from all political parties regarding another heinous crime against a minor girl that occurred in Kodagu recently.
In a small village Kumbaragadige, in Somwarpet taluk, Kodagu, a 16-year-old girl received her Class 10 results on May 9. She was the only girl from her school to pass, achieving good marks. On the same day, she got engaged to a 33-year-old man named Prakash Omkarappa. Acting on an anonymous call, the District Child Protection Unit intervened in the engagement and ensured her parents agreed not to marry her off until she turned 18. Despite this, the groom, enraged, later came to her house, dragged her out, beheaded her, and fled with her head. This shocking incident sent shockwaves across the state, leading to his arrest by the police the next day.
Unsurprisingly, Neha's murder sparked the most outrage from political parties and the wider society, coming just before Karnataka's Lok Sabha elections. In contrast, the murder case in Kodagu did not generate similar levels of outrage; it briefly made headlines in the media until the accused was arrested, with only a few reactions from the ruling Congress party and the opposition BJP and JDS.
There were no candle light vigils or protests. The only statements condemning the beheading of the Kodagu girl came from women’s activists. Besides the obvious fact of religion and how it served a political purpose, it is also instructive that while the Kodagu murder victim came from poorer sections of society and not from a major caste or community, Neha was the daughter of a municipal councillor.
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Shocking to know daughter of municipal council was a minor and got engaged.