Col Sofiya Qureshi slur: Jabalpur HC orders FIR against minister Vijay Shah

A division bench of Jabalpur High Court on Wednesday took suo motu cognizance by Madhya Pradesh minister Vijay Shah, apparently referring to Indian Army Colonel Sofiya Qureshi as the 'sister of terrorists', and ordered an FIR to be lodged against Shah by 6.00 pm.

In their order, Justices Atul Sridharan and Anuradha Shukla directed the state director-general of police to lodge the FIR under 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 court also said the armed forces were "perhaps the last institution in this country" that reflect integrity, discipline, sacrifice, selflessness, character, honour and indomitable courage.

On the shameful statement of BJP minister Vijay Shah by referring to Colonel Sofia as Sister of Terrorists, The division bench of Jabalpur High Court has suo motu directed to register a case against Vijay Shah under serious criminal sections. Via : @sanjaygupta1304 pic.twitter.com/guS2ihv4hb

— Mohammed Zubair (@zoo_bear) May 14, 2025

Earlier on Wednesday, the state unit of the Congress staged protests in capital Bhopal, Indore, and other places against Shah over his comments, and demanded that Shah, the state's tribal affairs minister, be sacked from the cabinet.

During a demonstration led by the Congress Mahila Morcha (women's wing) at Regal Square, party workers shouted slogans against the minister and burned his effigy. They also held up a banner which described Col Qureshi as 'Bharat ki sherni (India's tigress)'.

"Shah has made a very objectionable statement about a woman Army officer. We demand that chief minister Mohan Yadav immediately remove him from the cabinet," said Indore Congress president Surjit Singh Chaddha.

In another protest by the Congress elsewhere in the city, party workers poured milk on Col Qureshi's picture in a gesture of reverence, and demanded that Shah be sacked.

Col Qureshi came into the spotlight as she conducted regular press briefings during Operation Sindoor along with foreign secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.

"These 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," Shah said on Monday at an event in Ramkunda village near Indore .