In a storm that is rapidly evolving into one of the gravest crises in India’s civil-military relations in decades, the Narendra Modi-led government is battling mounting criticism from opposition leaders, defence analysts, and veterans over what is increasingly seen as a deliberate suppression of facts about Operation Sindoor, a covert air campaign conducted by the Indian Air Force (IAF) against terror targets inside Pakistan on the night of 7 May 2025.
The controversy exploded into national consciousness following remarks made by India’s Defence Attaché to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar (Indian Navy), at a closed-door academic seminar in Jakarta, where he tacitly confirmed the loss of Indian fighter aircraft during the operation — an admission starkly at odds with the government’s earlier declarations of mission success and minimal attrition.
Now, with the Congress Party alleging a full-blown cover-up, India’s security establishment finds itself navigating a treacherous minefield: balancing operational secrecy and morale on one hand, and democratic accountability on the other.
On the night of 7 May 2025, Indian jets launched what was described as a precision air strike against multiple terror-linked infrastructure sites in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and near key nodes along the Line of Control. Operation Sindoor was designed to send a strategic message: India would not tolerate cross-border terrorism and was willing to escalate using high-tech airpower.
Initial media briefings hailed the operation as a tactical success, emphasizing zero civilian casualties and showcasing a few grainy satellite images of obliterated compounds allegedly linked to Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.
However, almost from the outset, experts were skeptical. The silence around any losses seemed unnaturally absolute — especially given the intensity of Pakistani responses on the night of the raid. Open-source radar tracking hinted at increased Pakistani air defence activity and fast jet sorties during the early morning hours of 8 May.
On 10 June 2025, during a regional security seminar titled “Analysis of the Pakistan–India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power”, held at Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Jakarta, Captain Shiv Kumar made a now-infamous statement.
“I may not agree that we lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft,” he said.
It was the first public acknowledgement by any Indian official of air combat losses during Operation Sindoor. The audience included military strategists, regional defence attaches, and members of the Indonesian armed forces — and within hours, his remarks were circulating in South Asia’s security circles.
Leaked slides accompanying the presentation listed a Rafale, Su-30MKI, and MiG-29 among the lost platforms, but subsequent reporting by defence analysts suggested the final count may have included three Rafales, marking a devastating blow to India’s high-end air dominance capability.
Reacting swiftly, Congress Party leaders launched a full-frontal assault on the Modi government.
Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications, took to X (formerly Twitter), stating:
“The BJP has misled the people of India. Captain Shiv Kumar’s statement confirms what we feared: the IAF lost multiple fighters, including our frontline Rafales, during Operation Sindoor. The government must come clean.”
Pawan Khera, head of media and publicity for Congress, followed up with a sharper barb:
“They celebrated victory while hiding defeat. The public deserves the truth, not propaganda. This isn’t just dishonesty — it’s a betrayal of national security.”
Earlier, the IAF’s Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti, had made only a passing reference to “combat losses,” stating:
“We are in a combat situation and losses are a part of combat.”
Critics argue this was a sanitized, bureaucratic deflection that deliberately avoided addressing the extent of India’s losses.
More damning was the reluctant confirmation by General Anil Chauhan, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, who, in an impromptu interview with Bloomberg TV at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, finally acknowledged that “some aircraft were lost,” but declined to provide figures.
For the opposition, this is no longer about air operations — it’s about trust.
The reported loss of three Rafale jets has struck a particularly raw nerve. These multi-role fighters, acquired from Dassault Aviation under a controversial USD 8.7 billion deal, represent the spearhead of India’s deterrent capability.
With AESA radars, Meteor missiles, and a robust electronic warfare suite, the Rafales were envisioned to give India a qualitative edge over both Pakistan’s JF-17s and China’s J-20 stealth fleet.
Each Rafale, costing approximately USD 240 million, isn’t just a machine — it’s a symbol of India’s ambitions to project power across the Indo-Pacific.
That such aircraft could be downed — allegedly due to rules of engagement imposed by civilian leadership — has provoked an intense backlash within defence communities.
In his presentation, Captain Shiv Kumar squarely blamed political interference for the IAF’s losses:
“The Indian Air Force lost fighter jets to Pakistan on the night of May 7, 2025, only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defences.”
This echoes claims by insiders that the IAF was instructed to limit strikes to terror infrastructure, leaving Pakistani air defences, airfields, and radar stations untouched.
The logic? To avoid escalation between two nuclear-armed neighbours.
The result? Pakistani forces, facing no direct threat to their military assets, mounted a coordinated counter-air ambush. Sources suggest the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) deployed J-10Cs and JF-17 Block IIIs, guided by ground-based radars, to intercept Indian fighters returning to base — catching at least one Rafale and a Su-30MKI in vulnerable egress routes.
While Pakistan’s military has not officially confirmed the kill count, anonymous sources in Islamabad claim six Indian fighters were downed, with some wreckage recovered in Bhimber and Kotli sectors.
PAF officers, speaking to Pakistani media outlets off-record, said the operation validated their integrated air defence doctrine, and revealed that their forces had been on “deterrent trigger posture” since late April, anticipating an Indian strike.
This claim, whether inflated or not, has given Pakistan a powerful psychological edge in regional information warfare.
The political stakes for Prime Minister Narendra Modi could not be higher.
The government has yet to issue a detailed official response to the Congress’ allegations or clarify the real cost of Operation Sindoor. Inside sources say a classified parliamentary briefing is being considered, but only after the monsoon session.
Meanwhile, defence procurement watchers are alarmed.
India’s credibility as a regional military power, particularly in the Indo-Pacific Quadrant, may have taken a significant hit — just as China ramps up its fifth-generation air dominance efforts with the J-20 Mighty Dragon and more unmanned aerial swarms.
Operation Sindoor was meant to showcase India’s evolving airpower doctrine — one that emphasized surgical precision, denial strategies, and asymmetric escalation.
But the loss of five advanced fighters — without clear damage inflicted on Pakistani military capabilities — risks turning that doctrine into a cautionary tale.
In the run-up to India’s premier air exercise, Gagan Shakti 2025, and Pakistan’s Shaheen IX with China, both air forces are reassessing tactical doctrines. From electronic jamming to kill chain prioritization, the Sindoor engagement is expected to influence future war-gaming across the subcontinent.
Former Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa, who led the IAF during the Balakot strike in 2019, called for clarity:
“Wars are not PR campaigns. If we’ve lost fighters, the public deserves to know. Morale isn’t boosted by lies — it’s built on truth and accountability.”
Retired General Deepak Kapoor, former Army chief, warned against letting civilian-political interference override tactical realities:
“You don’t send men into battle with one hand tied. If you’re going to escalate, commit fully — or don’t escalate at all.”
The Congress Party has vowed to table a motion for a joint parliamentary probe, demanding accountability from the Defence Ministry, the Prime Minister’s Office, and the National Security Advisor.
India, a democracy with the world’s second-largest standing military, now finds itself at a crossroads.
Either the Modi government moves toward transparent reckoning — with classified briefings, casualty figures, and a reformed doctrine — or it risks a prolonged credibility erosion, both domestically and globally.
In an age where information moves faster than missiles, strategic ambiguity can no longer substitute for clear-eyed leadership.
India’s military, built painstakingly over decades, deserves more than opaque slogans and electoral optics. It deserves truth, trust, and a government willing to speak plainly — especially when lives, aircraft, and national security are on the line.
