Political Storm Erupts Over Lost Jets in 'Operation Sindoor'; Defence Attaché Cites 'Political Constraints'

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Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi Leveraging Pahalgam Attack, Operation Sindoor, and Attack on Pakistan for Electoral Advantage. Photo: Narendra Modi / PIB

Political Storm Erupts Over Lost Jets in ‘Operation Sindoor’; Defence Attaché Cites ‘Political Constraints’

The opposition Congress party has strongly criticised the BJP-led government, accusing it of “misleading” the country.

RMN News Political Desk
June 29, 2025

New Delhi, India – A significant political storm has erupted in India following comments by Captain Shiv Kumar, India’s defence attaché to Indonesia, regarding the initial phase of “Operation Sindoor”. According to an NDTV report from June 29, Captain Kumar, speaking at a seminar in an Indonesian university on June 10, stated that the operation faced “constraint” because the “political leadership” did not want the Indian Air Force (IAF) to attack Pakistani military installations and their air defence assets.

“India did lose some aircraft, but it was because of constraints given by the political leadership to not attack Pak military establishment or their air defences,” Captain Kumar explicitly stated.

Citing Captain Kumar’s acknowledgement, the opposition Congress party has strongly criticised the BJP-led government, accusing it of “misleading” the country. The Congress party asserted that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets on the night of May 7, 2025, while targeting Pakistani terror infrastructure—“only because of constraints given by the political leadership”. This statement, they noted, came directly from India’s defence attaché to Indonesia.

[ UNSC Rejects India’s Terror Allegations Against Pakistan Amidst Pakistan’s Rising Diplomatic Stature ]

Adding to the controversy, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan had also previously acknowledged the loss of Indian fighter jets during Operation Sindoor.

The Congress party has raised several “very serious questions“ concerning an “untimely ceasefire,” particularly given that India reportedly had an upper hand in the escalation. These critical questions include:

Why is Prime Minister Modi refusing to convene an all-party meeting under his leadership to inform the Opposition about the truth?
Why was the demand to call a special session of Parliament on this issue rejected?
What are PM Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and External Affairs Minister (EAM) Jaishankar hiding from the nation?

Operation Sindoor, launched in May 2025, involved a series of precision air and missile strikes targeting alleged terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Tensions between India and Pakistan had intensified following a deadly terrorist attack on April 22 in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, which resulted in the deaths of 26 Hindu tourists, prompting India to initiate the operation in retaliation.