There is absolutely no doubt that the official press conferences held during Operation Sindoor were outstanding. While Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, a seasoned diplomat, has vast experience in dealing with the media, the poise and intelligence displayed by the two officers—Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi—were admirable and highly impressive.
Even though their selection to present the country’s stand may have been influenced by optics, as believed by a section of society, the way they conducted themselves proved that they were equally, if not more, competent than their male colleagues.
There are also reports that at least two air defence systems, which successfully thwarted attacks by Pakistani aircraft and missiles, were commanded by female officers in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
All of them will surely serve as a source of inspiration to the first batch of female cadets graduating from the National Defence Academy shortly.
However, another dimension of the media briefings by the two officers has raised concerns. This pertains to the disturbing reactions from some public figures, the politicisation of gender and religion, and the arbitrary response by authorities.
The first such incident involved a blatantly communal remark by Vijay Shah, a minister in the BJP-ruled Madhya Prgadesh overnment. At a public meeting, referring to India’s retaliation following the Pahalgam terror attack, he declared: “Modi ji sent their own sister (Col. Sophia Qureshi) to take revenge.”
In doing so, he equated the officer’s religious identity with that of the enemy, effectively branding all Muslims as terrorists and linking Colonel Qureshi to them. Shockingly, no FIR was filed for several days despite demands from opposition leaders and the media. The Chief Minister merely reprimanded Shah and asked him not to make such comments “in public,” rather than removing him from the Cabinet.
It was ultimately the Madhya Pradesh High Court that directed the government to file an FIR, terming the minister’s comments “cancerous and dangerous.”
Shah later tendered an apology and sought quashing of the FIR in the Supreme Court. The apex court, however, rejected his plea, describing the remarks as “a national embarrassment.” “The entire nation is shamed by the minister’s statement,” the bench said, directing Shah to issue a genuine apology and instructing the state government to constitute a Special Investigation Team (SIT).
Despite claiming he did not intend to hurt any community, Shah’s apology—“I regret my comments made by mistake and sincerely apologise to the Army, sister Sofiya Qureshi and all my countrymen, with folded hands”—rang hollow to many who witnessed the gleeful applause he received while making the offensive remark.
Another reaction that made headlines was the swift arrest of Professor Ali Khan Mahmudabad from Ashoka University. He had posted on social media:
“I am very happy to see so many right-wing commentators applauding Colonel Sophia Qureishi, but perhaps they could also equally loudly demand that the victims of mob lynchings, arbitrary bulldozing, and others who are victims of the BJP’s hate-mongering be protected as Indian citizens. The optics of two women soldiers presenting their findings is important, but optics must translate to reality on the ground—otherwise, it’s just hypocrisy.”
His post, though critical of the political climate, made no disparaging remarks against the Army or the officers. Yet, the Haryana State Commission for Women chairperson and a village sarpanch from Jathedi lodged complaints, on which police promptly acted. An FIR was registered and the professor was arrested—an ironic contrast to the slow response in the Vijay Shah case.
The Supreme Court later ordered Mahmudabad’s release, but controversially restrained him from making further comments on the issue—raising concerns about the curtailment of his constitutional right to free speech.
Yet another case involved a 19-year-old student from Pune who was arrested and rusticated from college for a social media post related to the briefings. Though she deleted the post within two hours, she faced disproportionate punishment. The Bombay High Court stepped in, ordering her immediate release and revocation of rustication.
These episodes highlight a disturbing pattern: the selective use of law, where genuine concerns are stifled swiftly, while egregious communal remarks by those in power are met with indifference or delay. It reflects how authorities, instead of acting objectively, often use the law as a tool to serve political convenience.
In a democracy, national security and gender inclusion must not be politicised. The courage of our officers—regardless of gender or faith—deserves respect, not manipulation for narrow ends. It is imperative that governments act with fairness, consistency, and constitutional morality—rising above petty optics and power games—in the true interest of the nation.
This article was also published in Punjab Today News and can be read here.
