M.P. HC orders Immediate FIR against Minister Vijay Shah over Remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi

M.P. HC orders Immediate FIR against Minister Vijay Shah over Remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi

Taking suo motu cognisance of the controversial statement, the 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 Vijay Shah.

The Madhya Pradesh High Court directed the State Police to register an FIR within four hours against Cabinet Minister Vijay Shah over his controversial remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army, with the court noting that he had called the officer a “sister of terrorists”.

Taking suo moto cognizance of the matter, Justice Atul Sreedharan directed Director General of Police (DGP) Kailash Makwana to lodge an FIR against Mr. Shah within four hours under serious criminal charges, including the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Sections 196 (promoting enmity between groups) and 152 (act endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India).

“Prima facie, the statement of the Minister that Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the ‘sister of the terrorists’ who carried out the attack of Pahalgam encourages feelings of separatist activities, which thereby endangers the sovereignty and integrity of India,” Justice Sreedharan said, after taking cognizance of news reports.

Noting that Mr. Shah’s comments are “dangerous”, Justice Sreedharan said, “Now, they have started reaching out to the Armed Forces of this country.”

Shortly after the HC’s directions, a top official in the Chief Minister’s Office told that discussions were going on among senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders about a possible action against Mr. Shah.

Mr. Shah, State’s Tribal Welfare and Bhopal Gas Tragedy Relief and Rehabilitation Minister, has once again courted controversy with his remarks, with Opposition leaders alleging that he has linked Colonel Qureshi with terrorists of the April 22 Pahalgam attack.

Addressing a public event on May 12, Mr. Shah had said, “Those people (terrorists) who had wiped out the sindoor (vermilion) of our sisters… we avenged these people by sending their sister to destroy them. They (terrorists) killed our Hindu brothers. 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.”

While the Minister did not name Colonel Qureshi in his remarks, he later named her in the clarifications he issued after the controversy erupted and claimed that his statement had been “distorted”

Several political leaders from across the nation and parties have slammed Mr. Shah’s remarks and sought his removal.