Court orders case against MP Minister for remarks on Col. Sofiya

A police case will be filed against Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah over his comments on Colonel Sophia Qureshi, the High Court has ordered. The court has directed the state police chief to file a First Information Report against Vijay Shah.

Meanwhile, State Tribal Welfare Minister Shah at a gathering near Indore appeared to equate Col Qureshi's role in the military with a communal and gendered insult aimed at Pakistan and its people. "Sister Sofhia has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister. I salute her for her service to the nation. We cannot even think of insulting her in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and religion, then I am ready to apologise ten times,'' he said.

Minister Shah triggered a row following remarks widely interpreted as an offensive reference to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, the high-ranking Indian Army officer often seen accompanying Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri during press briefings on Operation Sindoor. 

Last week, Shah drew a connection between the terrorist attack in Pahalgam, which left 26 people dead, and Operation Sindoor. Referring obliquely but unmistakably to Col Qureshi. He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent "a sister from their [the terrorists'] community" in an Indian Air Force aircraft to "strip them of their pride" and "teach them a lesson."

The Congress party termed Shah's remarks "derogatory, communal and shameful." Party president Mallikarjun Kharge issued a statement on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), urging Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sack Shah immediately.