How Correct Is It To Blame Whole Community?: 'Kantara' Actor On Linking Neha Hiremath's Murder To 'Love Jihad'

Multilingual actor Kishore has called the brutal murder of Neha Hiremath an "unforgivable crime" and the accused should be punished "severely".

In a post shared on Instagram, the 'Kantara' actor said, "What happened to Neha, is truly an unforgivable crime. A life which had to be celebrated ends abruptly for no fault of hers.

As a civilised society we all have failed her..Apart from making sure that the criminal who has already been arrested with evidence should be punished severely so that no one dares to do it again, We and the governments must take all possible measures to create awareness and control the root causes of the ever increasing crimes against women."

According to him, Neha's tragic fate underscores a profound failure of our society to protect its members. While ensuring the swift and severe punishment of the culprit is essential, we must also address the underlying causes of escalating crimes against women through awareness and preventive measures.

He said, "Tragically, no amount of punishment to the culprits can bring Neha back. But what we can do is to ensure that we build such a healthy society that no one else becomes a victim like Neha. But during this painful moment, how right is it to see a Hindu Muslim angle in it???"

However, the actor is apparently upset with the communal angel given to the murder. The victim's father and the BJP has blamed "love jihad" for the incident.

Kishore added, "How correct is it to blame the whole community for one person's wrong doing ?? In a country where 78 murders are committed per day and 1224 crimes are committed against women, how many of those criminals are Hindus and how many Christians ?? So are we, the people from respective religions are all guilty?"

The focus should be on fostering a society where such atrocities are unthinkable, rather than succumbing to divisive narratives based on religion or politics. Painting Neha's death with communal colors only serves to perpetuate hatred and division, detracting from the urgent need for collective action and solidarity in seeking justice for victims, Kishore claimed.

"Have we not seen so many interfaith couples living happily together? Are those religions and their people responsible for that? how ? It must be agreed that the opposition party or anyone who has worked hard to help the the victims get justice. It is everyone's duty. But these bigoted people, who are dividing people, are painting Neha's death with communal color and using it for political gain by spreading hatred. It is a crime as heinous as murder itself," he concluded.

Neha Hiremath, daughter of a Congress councillor, was stabbed to death inside a college campus in Hubballi by 23-year-old Fayaz Khondunaik. The accused has been arrested.