Remarks Against Sofiya: Karnataka Home Minister Orders Filing FIR Against MP Minister Shah
G Parameshwara instructed the Belagavi SP to register an FIR against MP Minister Vijya Shah for his alleged remarks against Sofiya Qureshi.
Published : May 15, 2025 at 4:39 PM IST
Bengaluru: After the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered the filing of an FIR against the MP Minister Vijya Shah for his unsavoury remarks on Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, Karnataka Home Minister G Parameshwara said an FIR will be filed against Shah by the Karnataka Police too.
"Since Sofiya is the daughter-in-law of our Belagavi district, I have instructed Belagavi Superintendent of Police to register an FIR against Shah and inform the Central Government about further legal steps," Parameshwara told reporters here on Thursday.
The BJP Minister's statement has inflicted insult not only on Sofia but to the entire country. No one should make such a cheap statement, the Home Minister said. Sofiya, who hogged the limelight by being the face of the Indian forces during Operation Sindoor, is married to Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi, a native of Konnur village in Gokak taluk of Belagavi district.
Referring to the terrorist attack in Pahalgam and the subsequent retaliation by India through Operation Sindoor during his public speech near Indore, Shah had said that PM Modi dispatched a sister from their (the terrorists') community via an Indian Air Force plane to humiliate them and teach a lesson.
Shah's statement sparked outrage across the country, with opposition parties seeking his removal from the MP cabinet. All India Congress Committee President Mallikarjun Kharge described Shah's comments as sectarian, disparaging and disgraceful, and urged Prime Minister Narednra Modi to dismiss Shah.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court also took suo-motu cognisance of Shah's remark, calling it the "language of gutters" and directed MP police to register an FIR against Shah.
Meanwhile, Shah sought to ease the situation by expressing regret over his remarks. "I am ashamed and saddened by my statement, which has hurt the sentiments of every community. I apologise from the bottom of my heart. Our country's sister Sofiya Qureshi ji has worked rising above caste and society while fulfilling her national duty," he said in a video message.
