The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday ordered registration of an FIR against state minister Vijay Shah for his controversial remarks targeted at Colonel Sofia Qureshi. The court castigated Shah for passing "scurrilous" remarks and using "language of the gutters" and said the armed forces were "perhaps the last institution in this country" that reflect integrity, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage.
Shah, the tribal affairs minister and BJP leader, sparked a major controversy with objectionable comments that appeared to be directed at Colonel Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists".
Colonel Qureshi had conducted regular press briefings, sharing details of the 'Operation Sindoor' launched by Indian armed forces to strike terrorists, joined by Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.
What Did MP HC Bench Say?
Taking suo motu cognisance of the controversial statement, the Jabalpur High Court 's division bench of Justices Atul Shridharan and Anuradha Shukla ordered the police to register a first information report (FIR) against the minister.
The court directed the police department to file the FIR by 6 pm on Wednesday.
The division bench said the court should be informed about the registration of the FIR.
The division bench directed the state Director General of Police (DGP) to file an FIR against Shah for making a controversial statement for offences under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 152 (acts endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 196 (1) (b) (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, language, or other similar characteristics) and 197(1)(c) (statement or action that causes or is likely to cause disharmony, enmity, or hatred between different groups).
"The same must be done by today evening, failing which tomorrow, when the matter is listed, the court may contemplate proceeding against the Director General of Police of the State for contempt of this order," the court order said.
The next hearing on the petition has been scheduled at 10.30 am on Thursday.
According to PTI, the high court's order said, "This court has been compelled to take up this matter suo motu on account of an incident published in various newspapers and digital media that has taken place at a public function at village Raikunda in Ambedkar Nagar at Mhow on Monday."
"A sitting minister of the Madhya Pradesh Government, whose name is Mr Vijay Shah, has used scurrilous language, against a senior official of the Indian Army," it said.
"The armed forces, perhaps the last institution existing in this country, reflecting integrity, industry, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage with which any citizen of this country who values the same can identify themselves with, has been targeted by Mr. Vijay Shah who has used the language of the gutters against Col Sofia Qureshi," the order reportedly said.
The statement made by Shah prima facie has the propensity to cause disharmony and feelings of enmity or hatred or ill-will between the members of the Muslim faith and other persons who do not belong to the same religion, the high court said.
It must be mentioned here that Col. Sofia Qureshi, along with Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, were the face of the armed forces briefing the media and the nation of the progress of 'Operation Sindoor', it added.
At the function , the minister made "nauciting" (nauseating) remark against Col. Sofia Qureshi by way of an innuendo which can refer to none other then her alone, as there is no one else who would fit the description of the comment made by the minister, the order said.
"At that public function, he referred to Col. Sofia Qureshi as the sister of the terrorists who carried out the killings of 26 innocent Indians at Pahalgam. Further, the newspaper reports and a plethora of digital material available on the internet in which the speech of the minister is clear and unequivocal, where he has referred to the Prime Minister of India, Mr. Narendra Modi, for having sent the sister of the terrorists to sort them out," it said.
His comments are disparaging and dangerous, not just to the officer in question but to the armed forces itself, it added.
Controversial Statement
During his speech, Vijay Shah referenced the recent terror attack in Pahalgam that left 26 civilians dead and connected it to Operation Sindoor. In his address, he said, “Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters (in the Pahalgam terror attack)… We avenged these 'kate-pite' people by sending their sister to destroy them. They (terrorists) killed our Hindu brothers by making them remove their clothes. PM Modi ji responded by sending their (terrorists') sister in an Army plane to strike them in their houses. They (terrorists) made our sisters widows, so Modiji sent the sister of their community to strip them and teach them a lesson.”
Under severe flak, Shah said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise 10 times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.
Reaction
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said a minister of the BJP government in Madhya Pradesh made "extremely insulting, shameful and vulgar remarks" about Colonel Qureshi.
"The terrorists of Pahalgam wanted to divide the country but the country was united throughout Operation Sindoor in giving a befitting reply to the terrorists," Kharge said.
"The mentality of the BJP-RSS has always been anti-women. First, they trolled the wife of the naval officer martyred in Pahalgam on social media, then harassed the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and now BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our braveheart Sofiya Qureshi," the Congress chief said.
Madhya Pradesh Congress president Jitu Patwari shared the video of Shah on X and asked whether the BJP agrees with the minister's "low thinking"? He demanded an answer from Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Shah's comment.
BSP chief Mayawati on Wednesday condemned the purported objectionable remarks made by Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah against Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, terming them "deeply saddening and shameful." Shah, a BJP MLA from Harsud in Madhya Pradesh, is facing condemnation not only from the opposition parties but also his party.
Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi on Wednesday condemned his controversial remarks and said the minister is a "fool". Commenting on Shah's remarks, Naqvi told PTI Videos, "Wo bewakoof hain (He is a fool)." "Kuch log josh mein hosh khone ke aadi ban gaye hain (Some people have become habitual of losing their senses out of enthusiasm)," he added.
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