Describing the girl student's murder in Hubballi as a heinous act, Karnataka Industries Minister MB Patil on Saturday opined that the culprit deserves capital punishment. Neha Hiremath, daughter of Congress Corporator Niranjan Hiremath, succumbed to multiple stab wounds inflicted by Fayaz, a former friend and classmate.

Responding to queries by press persons about the incident, MB Patil urged that the legal proceedings of the incident should be carried out on a fast-track basis. The minister said that the miscreants in such cases should be harshly punished without delay. He emphasised that legal proceedings of such cases should be carried out in fast-track courts to avoid delay.