Madhya Pradesh minister and BJP leader Kunwar Vijay Shah was on Wednesday booked for his alleged unsavoury remarks against Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, who led Operation Sindoor against Pakistan over the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.

The development came after the High Court directed filing an FIR against the state tribal affairs minister.

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A nationwide controversy broke out following the Madhya Pradesh tribal affairs minister making distasteful remarks about the army officer.

The High Court directed the Director General of Police of the state to initiate action against the BJP leader by Wednesday evening, warning that failure to comply would lead to proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act.

During the court hearing, counsel for the minister argued that the order to file an FIR against the minister was based on newspaper reports, to which the court responded that it would now include video links in the official record.

Justice Atul Sreedharan underscored urgency of the matter when the counsel sought more time on the issue, saying, “I may not be alive tomorrow”.

Section 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which penalises speeches or actions inciting enmity among different groups on the basis of religion, is prima facie applicable in this case, the MP High Court observed.

The BJP leader made the controversial comment on Monday in Indore while addressing an event.

He, however, following the widespread condemnation from the opposition political parties and the leaders of his own party, issued an apology on Tuesday, saying his remarks had been misconstrued.

“Some people are taking my statement in a different context. I did not mean it that way. She (Col. Qureshi) is my sister and she has avenged the acts of the terrorists,” he said.

Shah, in an apparent reference to Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, had remarked, “Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson.”

Meanwhile, Congress and the National Commission for Women (NCW) slammed the minister, with Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge terming the comments “shameful and vulgar.”

The NCW strongly condemned the derogatory remarks of the BJP leader, and called on society to show respect and honour to women.

“It is extremely unfortunate that such statements are being made by some responsible persons which are derogatory and unacceptable towards women. This not only hurts the dignity of women in our society but is also an insult to the daughters of the nation who are playing an important role in the security of the country,” NCW chairperson Vijaya Rahatkar posted on X.