Congress workers in Bhopal protested, urging the Madhya Pradesh government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party to dismiss Tribal Affairs Minister Kunwar Vijay Shah. Shah faced backlash for his controversial comments against Army officer Colonel Sofiya Qureshi following the ‘Operation Sindoor’ last year. During the protest, led by State General Secretary Amit Sharma, a party member disguised as Shah was paraded from the Congress office to a police station. Protesters carried posters supporting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi and criticizing Shah.
Amit Sharma, addressing the media, accused the BJP government of protecting Kunwar Vijay Shah despite his disrespectful remarks towards Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. He highlighted that the Supreme Court had instructed the Madhya Pradesh government to take action against Shah and demanded his immediate removal from the state Cabinet. Sharma warned of further protests at the Chief Minister’s residence if Shah was not ousted from his ministerial position.
Following the Supreme Court’s reprimand of the Madhya Pradesh government for delaying action on the SIT report regarding Shah’s comments about Col Qureshi, the government was directed to decide on granting permission to prosecute Shah within two weeks. The Court emphasized that the SIT had concluded its investigation and submitted the final report, awaiting official approval from the state government as per Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which addresses the incitement of communal hatred.
Earlier, amid the controversy surrounding Shah’s remarks, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav had pledged to act in accordance with the court’s directives.
