Neha Hiremath, 23, the daughter of a Congress Councillor, was stabbed to death by a Muslim youth right there in her college campus as several students watched in horror but did nothing to help her last Thursday. She was killed by her college mate for allegedly rejecting his offer of love. The youth,  Fayyaz is in judicial custody.

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Under pressure after the BJP waded into the incident, blaming the Congress for attempting to appease the Muslim vote bank as the state heads to the polls, Siddaramaiah said a special fast track court would be set up to deliver a quick verdict in the case.

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The chief minister said his government was committed to delivering the stiffest punishment to the culprit and the police would be directed to file a charge sheet without delay.

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The BJP had lambasted the Congress government for 'soft-pedaling ' and downplaying the matter as nothing more than a lovers’ tiff, accusing the government of turning a blind eye to ‘love jihad.’ The party has launched a state-wide stir and has announced a candle-lit vigil in Bengaluru on Tuesday with the tagline 'Justice for Neha.' BJP party president JP Nadda, and BJP senior leaders Pralhad Joshi and Basavaraj Bommai visited the grieving Hiremath family in a clear bid to turn it into yet  another example of poor governance and inability to maintain law and order in Karnataka under the present Congress government.