Bengaluru, April 23 : The Karnataka unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday staged state-wide protests against the murder of MCA student and Congress leader's daughter, Neha Hiremath.

Meanwhile, following the public outrage and demand by Neha's family, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced the murder case would be handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department.

Neha's father, Niranjan Hiremath, on Monday claimed that his daughter was forced to convert while saying the Karnataka Police were behaving like a puppet of the state government.

Slamming the Congress government over "appeasement politics resulting in the collapse of law and order in the state", the BJP has stated that it will not protest until the accused Fayaz Kondikoppa is hanged.

Thousands of party workers in district headquarters staged protests demanding justice for Neha Hiremath.

Members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad also participated in the protest.

Former Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai who led the protest in Haveri said that the investigation should be handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation.