Defence attache's IAF loss in Op Sindoor remark sparks row: What happened

Business Standard

30-06-2025

The Embassy of India in Jakarta, Indonesia, issued a clarification on Sunday, June 30, regarding comments made by India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia Captain Shiv Kumar on Operation Sindoor that suggested that the alleged losses incurred by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Pakistan were caused by "political constraints".
In a video that surfaced on social media, Captain Kumar purportedly suggested that political leadership, and not air defence capabilities, were responsible for the loss of India's aircraft. Opposition leaders seized on the remarks, accusing the government of concealing crucial details about the operation.
Here's what happened.
What defence attaché said about aircraft losses in Pakistan
On June 10, Captain Kumar addressed a seminar titled 'Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power' at a university in Jakarta. In a clip that surfaced online on Sunday, June 29, the naval officer can be heard responding to an earlier comment made by a speaker at the same event claiming that India lost "a lot of aircrafts", Kumar said, "I may not agree with him that India lost a lot of aircrafts, but I do agree ee did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence system.'
He further explained, 'But after the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations. So we first achieved suppression and destruction of enemy air defence and then all our attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles and BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles.'
Congress accuses Centre of withholding military details
Referencing the comment, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the government's silence and transparency. 'First the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then, a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia. But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence?' he asked in a post on X .
ऑपरेशन सिंदूर पर पहले सिंगापुर में चीफ ऑफ डिफेंस स्टाफ (CDS) ने अहम खुलासे किए। फिर इंडोनेशिया में एक कार्यक्रम के दौरान एक वरिष्ठ रक्षा अधिकारी ने उन बातों को आगे बढ़ाया। लेकिन प्रधानमंत्री सर्वदलीय बैठक की अध्यक्षता करने और विपक्ष को भरोसे में लेने से क्यों इनकार कर रहे हैं?…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 29, 2025
Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of deliberately withholding information. 'The Modi government has misled the nation from the start – failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor,' he said. Khera referred to earlier briefings where losses were only indirectly acknowledged, such as when Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti described the situation as a 'combat scenario' where losses were expected.
The Modi government has misled the nation from the start - failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor. There were oblique references to losses in air combat on 6/7 May, during a briefing by the DG Air Ops (Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti) when he said -… https://t.co/pRD30gAmI3
— Pawan Khera ???????? (@Pawankhera) June 29, 2025
'Taken out of context': Indian Embassy responds to controversy
Amid the controversy, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta issued a statement on X stating that the officer's remarks were taken out of context.
'His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' the statement read.
"The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory," the embassy added.
We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker. The presentation…
— India in Indonesia (@IndianEmbJkt) June 29, 2025
Opposition calls for special Parliament session on Op Sindoor
On May 31, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan confirmed with Bloomberg TV that the IAF had lost fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. While specifics regarding losses have not been disclosed, authorities have repeatedly refuted claims, made by Pakistan, of losing six aircraft.