A Special Investigation Team (SIT), constituted on the directions of the Supreme Court, has initiated its probe into the controversial remarks made by Madhya Pradesh Minister Vijay Shah. One of the team members confirmed the development on Saturday.
The three-member SIT has started meeting locals in Raykundda village near Mhow in Indore district, the site where Shah allegedly made objectionable comments targeting Colonel Sofiya Qureshi on May 12, police sources said.
Sagar Zone Inspector General of Police Pramod Verma is leading the SIT. The other members include Kalyan Chakravarthy, DIG of the Special Armed Forces, and Vahini Singh, Superintendent of Police, Dindori.
Earlier, on May 14, Manpur police registered an FIR against Shah following a directive from the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which had taken suo motu cognisance of the minister’s “crass remarks”. The FIR has since been handed over to the SIT, a police official from Indore confirmed.
When asked about the timeline for questioning Shah, who holds the tribal affairs portfolio, a member of the SIT declined to provide details. “We are on the job. That’s it. We are staying put in Indore,” he said.
SC mandates status report by May 28
The Supreme Court has directed the SIT to submit its first status report by May 28. The FIR against Shah includes charges under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita sections 152 (acts endangering sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India), 196(1)(B) (acts affecting communal harmony and potentially causing breach of peace), and 197(1)(C) (statements against community members harming communal harmony).
The apex court had earlier slammed Shah for his comments, saying they brought “shame” to the nation. Rejecting his apology, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and N Kotiswar Singh said they had reviewed the video of Shah’s remarks and his subsequent apology. The court questioned whether he was shedding “crocodile tears” or simply attempting to avoid legal consequences.
(With PTI inputs)
