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Journalism of Courage
THE MADHYA Pradesh High Court Wednesday ordered an FIR against state Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his remarks seen as directed against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi who was part of the daily media briefings by the Indian Armed Forces on Operation Sindoor.
Shah’s comments alluding to Qureshi as “a sister” of terrorists who carried out the Pahalgam attack were “cancerous and dangerous,” the High Court said in oral observations, directing that an FIR be filed against the minister by Wednesday evening.
In its order, the division bench, comprising Justices Atul Sreedharan and Anuradha Shukla, called Shah’s comments “disparaging”.
The bench said that prima facie, Shah’s statement “encourages feelings of separatist activities, by imputing separatist feeling to anyone who is Muslim, which thereby endangers the sovereignty or unity and integrity of India.”
It ordered that the FIR be registered under Sections 152, 196(1)(b) and 197(1)(c) of the BNS, which deal with charges of “promoting enmity” between groups and of endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India.
The order mounts trouble for the minister, who is not new to controversy and who has sought to apologise for his remarks. It could also pose a problem for the BJP, which has moved quickly to take Shah to task.
On Wednesday, the BJP sent a senior leader to the house of Qureshi’s relatives in Chhatarpur, Madhya Pradesh, though the party said this was a congratulatory visit to commend the family on the Colonel’s role.
The Congress has demanded that Shah be sacked, while its senior state leaders have filed a police complaint against the minister at Shyamal Hills Police Station in Bhopal.
In a post on X, National Commission for Women chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar hailed Qureshi and condemned the remarks made by Shah, without mentioning the minister’s name.
Sources said that on Tuesday evening, hours after Shah’s speech, at an event near Mhow the previous day, went viral, CM Mohan Yadav pulled up Shah, with advice on “how to conduct himself in public”.
“This was not the first time Shah had made loose comments and he was told by the CM not to repeat this and not to speak on sensitive issues surrounding Operation Sindoor from a public platform,” a senior BJP functionary said.
Shah was summoned next to the BJP state headquarters, where party general secretary (organisation) Hitanand Sharma met him. “He was asked to maintain party discipline and not give a chance to the Opposition to attack the BJP,” a senior leader said.
Shah was also called by BJP state president V D Sharma to his home. Sharma told the media later: “The BJP leadership is very sensitive about such matters… The party has conveyed its message to Vijay Shah. No one has the right to disrespect Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who has made the country proud.”
In a statement Wednesday, senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi slammed Shah as “bewakoof” (a fool). Speaking to PTI Videos, he said the minister had become “a laughing stock”.
Former Chief Minister and senior BJP leader Uma Bharti sought Shah’s dismissal and said he had “brought shame to the entire nation”.
“Vijay Shah ji should be dismissed from the post of minister and an FIR should be lodged against him immediately because he has brought shame to the entire nation,” Bharti said.
Former BJP Maharajpur MLA Manvendra Singh met Qureshi’s relatives in Chattarpur. Singh told The Indian Express: “Her cousins live there, so I went to offer my congratulations that their daughter has done such splendid work. I also spoke to her father over WhatsApp.” He said Shah’s comments did not come up in his conversation with the family.
In his speech Monday, Shah had said: “India taught a lesson to those responsible for the Pahalgam terror attack using a sister from their own community (unki samaj ki behen ke zariye).” He repeated it thrice, without mentioning Qureshi’s name.
As the statement became public, the Congress attacked Shah, saying his reference was clearly to Qureshi. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said Wednesday: “The mentality of the BJP-RSS has always been anti-women. First, they trolled the wife (Himanshi Narwal) of the Naval officer martyred in Pahalgam, then harassed the daughter of Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, and now BJP ministers are making such indecent comments about our braveheart Sofiya Qureshi.”
Emerging from the BJP headquarters Tuesday evening, Shah said: “I belong to a family of martyrs and Armymen. I was emotional due to the Pahalgam incident. I am apologising if my words hurt someone and any community. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the pride of the nation and she is like my sister.”
“Sister Sofiya has brought glory to India by rising above caste and religion. She is more respected than our own sister… We cannot think of insulting her even in our dreams. Still, if my words have hurt society and any religion, I am ready to apologise ten times,” he said.
In its observations, the High Court said Shah “has used the language of the gutters against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi”. The Armed Forces, it said, are “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… can identify themselves… (This) has been targeted by Mr. Vijay Shah.”
Pointing out that Qureshi is Muslim, Justice Sreedharan said that Shah’s reference to her as “the sister” of terrorists has “propensity to fuel an impression that irrespective of the selfless duties of a person towards India, such a person could still be derided only because that person belongs to the Muslim faith”.
