Congress Protests After Court Raps Madhya Pradesh For Shielding Minister

The Congress has staged a dramatic protest in Bhopal to step up pressure on the Madhya Pradesh government to take action against state minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his derogatory remarks against Indian Army's Colonel Sofiya Qureshi. The protest followed the Supreme Court's strong observations and its direction to the Mohan Yadav government to take a call within two weeks on sanctioning Shah's prosecution.

Led by Congress state general secretary Amit Sharma, party workers brought a man wearing a mask of Shah, handcuffed him, and paraded him outside the state Congress office. The protesters then marched to a nearby police station and symbolically "handed over" the masked man to the police, demanding immediate action against Shah.

Addressing the media, Amit Sharma said Shah insulted Colonel Qureshi. "She is a daughter of the nation who brought honour to the country. The government is protecting a minister who insulted a woman officer of the Indian Army. Vijay Shah must be removed from his post immediately," he said.

Shah made headlines in May for his derogatory and discriminatory remarks against Colonel Qureshi. He later claimed a "linguistic mistake" and said he was ready to apologise 10 times. A Supreme Court-appointed team probed his remarks and submitted its report, but the state government has not sanctioned action against Shah yet. The court yesterday told the state government, "You have been sitting over the SIT report since August 19, 2025. The statute casts an obligation on you, and you must take a call."

Congress leader Sharma said the Supreme Court's order marks a moral and political defeat for the state government. "Truth has prevailed in the Supreme Court. The court has ordered that a case be registered against the minister whom the government kept protecting," he added.

Youth Congress workers protested outside the minister's bungalow in Bhopal, smearing black paint on the nameplate and raising slogans against him.

Reacting to the developments in court, Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly, Umang Singhar, wrote on social media that the issue was not about a statement, but reflected an "insensitive and hateful mindset flourishing under the protection of power." "An army officer, a daughter of the nation, and the honour of the country was attacked, yet the BJP government sat on the SIT report for months. There can be no compromise on the honour of the country's army and its women. The law must be equal for everyone, including ministers."

On May 11 last year, Shah was addressing a public event in Indore. Speaking about Operation Sindoor, he said, "They stripped and killed our Hindus, and Modi ji sent their sister to their house to teach them a lesson." The remark triggered widespread outrage and accusations of disrespect towards Colonel Qureshi.

During the hearing in the top court, senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Vijay Shah, said the minister had filed an apology and was cooperating with the investigation. But the bench rejected the apology. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked that the apology was delayed and inadequate, and that the court had already commented on its nature.

Neither Chief Minister Yadav nor the BJP has issued an official reaction so far to the Supreme Court's order.