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Hindustan Times
15-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Karnataka orders FIR against MP minister Vijay Shah over Colonel Sofiya remark
Bengaluru: The Karnataka government on Thursday directed the police to file a First Information Report (FIR) against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) minister Vijay Shah from Madhya Pradesh over his controversial remarks about Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, one of the two women officers who briefed the nation on Operation Sindoor.. Karnataka home minister G Parameshwara said that the FIR would be registered in Belagavi, the district where Colonel Sofiya's in-laws reside. 'Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is the daughter-in-law of Belagavi. Her husband hails from Belagavi. I have instructed the Belagavi SP to register an FIR and inform the Central government about taking appropriate action against the minister who made the statement,' he added. The FIR is yet to be registered. The move follows an outrage over tribal affairs minister's controversial comments at an event in Indore on Monday. 'Those who widowed our daughters, we sent a sister of their own to teach them a lesson,' he said in apparent reference to Qureshi. On Tuesday, he apologised for the remarks after condemnation from the opposition and censure from his own party. Parameshwara said Shah's remarks are 'not just an insult to her – it is an insult to our state and the entire country.' 'No one should harbour such an attitude. It is not justifiable. Against this backdrop, we have given directions to initiate legal action to the concerned,' he added. The Supreme Court has also raised concerns about Shah's comments, which have further intensified scrutiny on the BJP leader. Meanwhile, the police have ramped up security at Colonel Sofiya Qureshi's in-laws' village in Konnuru on Wednesday, after a misleading social media post falsely claimed the house was attacked and demolished by right-wing groups. 'Anis Hudeen, reportedly based in Canada, created the fake post and deleted it following intervention by the district's social media monitoring team. We will deal with him strictly if he is from our nation,' Belagavi superintendent of police (SP) Bhimashankar Guled said. The SP said that the house where Colonel Sofiya's father-in-law Gous Bagewadi lives has been receiving numerous visitors after the army officer's leadership in Operation Sindoor came to light. 'Police are monitoring the premises and checking visitors for safety,' he added. Bagewadi said the family was unfazed. 'No one attacked our house, the post on social media is totally false,' he said, adding that the family was not afraid of any threats. Born to a military family in Gujarat's Vadodara and married to Konnuru native Tajuddin, has been widely praised for her role in the recent military operation. Col Quraishi was the first Indian woman officer to lead an Indian contingent and the only woman commander among 18 participating nations at the ASEAN Plus Multinational Military Exercise 'Force 18' in 2016. The couple met while serving in the army and married in Vadodara in 2015. Bagewadi said that both were educated in government Kannada-medium schools and that the family was proud of her achievements. 'Our phones have not stopped ringing after people knew that Col Sofiya is from our family,' he said, adding 'though she had planned to visit the family during Ramzan this year, Sofiya had to postpone the trip and assured them she would visit during Bakrid instead.'
Hindustan Times
09-05-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
‘My great-grandmother fought with Rani Laxmibai': Colonel Sofiya Qureshi talks about her legacy in throwback video
In the wake of Operation Sindoor, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi of the Indian Army has emerged as a household name, praised for her calm command and clarity during the press briefing that followed India's retaliatory strikes after the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Alongside Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, Colonel Qureshi led India's narrative from the front, not only outlining strategic details but also symbolising strength, unity, and national pride. But long before the world saw her at that podium, Colonel Qureshi's journey was deeply rooted in a legacy of military service — and, as it turns out, in revolutionary history. A resurfaced 2017 interview offers a compelling glimpse into her background, where she revealed a powerful ancestral connection: her great-grandmother, she said, had fought alongside Rani Laxmibai during the 1857 revolt. 'I am a Fauji kid, so I have been exposed to the Army environment, and not only that, my great-grandmother was with Rani Laxmi Bai, she was a woman warrior,' she said. 'My grandfather, who was also in the Army, he used to say, 'It is the responsibility of every citizen to be alert and stand up for our country and with the nation.'' This multi-generational tradition of service has clearly shaped her values. Raised in a military household, she says it was her mother who encouraged either her or her twin sister to join the forces. While Colonel Qureshi answered the call through the Indian Army, her sister, model and producer Shyna Sunsara, beamed with pride watching the televised briefing. 'We are Army kids. Women couldn't join the Army back then but even so both of us wanted to,' Shyna said to HTCity, adding how Sofiya found a way: 'She'd say, 'Main DRDO ke through scientist banke Army mein jaaungi!' Agar nahin, toh she would've joined the police.' The girls come from a line of fighters for the country. Furthermore, their family history reads like a timeline of Indian military service. 'My dad fought in the 1971 Bangladesh war. His father was in the Army, too. Humare chacha BSF mein thhe. Mere daada ke daada British Army mein the, who later joined the krantikaari ladai. Our daadi would tell us stories of him fighting in the Revolt of 1857 by Rani of Jhansi. Sofiya bhi Jhansi Ki Rani ki tarah bolti chali gayi briefing mein, woh uski inspiration rahi hain,' shared Shyna. Colonel Sofiya Qureshi was born in 1974 into a military family in Vadodara, Gujarat. She completed her Master's in Biochemistry from Maharaja Sayajirao University in 1997. Currently serving in the Mechanised Infantry of the Indian Army, she was the first Indian woman officer to lead an Indian contingent at the ASEAN Plus Multinational Military Exercise 'Force 18' in 2016. She was also the only female commander among the 18 participating nations, alongside her husband. As India watched her lead the Operation Sindoor briefing, few may have known that her presence at that moment wasn't just professional — it was deeply personal, woven through generations of courage, commitment, and quiet determination.
