Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has taken a stern stance against BJP leader and Madhya Pradesh minister Kunwar Vijay Shah for his controversial comments about Colonel Sofia Qureshi.

A division bench comprising Justices Atul Shridharan and Anuradha Shukla instructed the state government to register an FIR against Shah within four hours.

The court set a deadline of 6 PM on Wednesday for the FIR to be filed and a compliance report to be submitted.

Shah has sparked a major controversy with his objectionable comments on Tuesday that appeared to be directed at Colonel Qureshi, whom he tried to project as a "sister of terrorists."

After drawing severe flak, the Madhya Pradesh minister said if anyone is hurt by his statement, he is ready to apologise ten times, adding that he respects Colonel Qureshi more than his sister.

Meanwhile, Congress demanded the sacking of Shah from the state cabinet. During a demonstration led by the Congress Mahila Morcha (women's wing) at the Regal Square, party workers shouted slogans against the minister and burned his effigy. They also held a banner which described Col Qureshi as "Bharat ki Sherni" (India's tigress).

"Shah has made a very objectionable statement about a woman army officer. We demand that Chief Minister Mohan Yadav should immediately remove him from the cabinet," said city Congress president Surjit Singh Chaddha.

In another protest by the Congress elsewhere in the city, party workers poured milk on Col Qureshi's picture in a gesture of reverence, and demanded that Shah be sacked.

Colonel Qureshi came into the spotlight as she conducted regular press briefings during Operation Sindoor along with Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and Wing Commander Vyomika Singh.