NEWDEHLI:P In a stunning political admission, a senior Indian opposition leader has publicly conceded that the Indian military faced a comprehensive defeat at Pakistan’s hands during a critical conflict, directly challenging New Delhi’s official narrative.
Senior Congress leader and former Maharashtra Chief Minister CM Prithviraj Chavan, in remarks reported by Indian media outlets including Republic TV, stated that India was “completely defeated” in the initial phase of ‘Operation Sindoor’. This is widely understood to refer to the aerial engagement following Pakistan’s retaliatory strikes in response to Indian incursion a day prior.
“In the half hour of the aerial engagement that took place on the 7th, we were completely defeated,” Chavan was quoted as saying. He elaborated that Indian aircraft were shot down and that the Indian Air Force was “completely grounded,” with not a single sortie flown afterwards. Significantly, he highlighted the absence of any supporting ground offensive by the Indian Army, describing the operation as a failed, purely aerial endeavor launched from air bases.
“The entire operation was carried out in air bases and there was no army movement at all,” Chavan asserted, questioning the utility of maintaining large troop deployments if they were not activated.
This candid confession from a high-profile Indian political figure starkly contradicts the Indian government’s longstanding claims of military success. It powerfully echoes Pakistan’s consistent position that its armed forces decisively repelled Indian aggression, capturing an Indian Air Force pilot and downing aircraft. Chavan’s statements are seen as a significant validation of Pakistan’s military readiness and the effectiveness of its response, exposing deep fissures within India over the operational failure of its military strategy.
Meanwhile a recent report by British defence journal Key Aero released a report carrying details of the Indian jets destroyed by Pakistan during the aerial clash in May this year.
The journal reported that that four Indian Air Force Rafale jets were destroyed during the aerial clash between Pakistan and India in May this year.
The report says this marked the first time an air force combined cyber and conventional military operations to cripple its opponent.
According to Key Aero, the 52-minute air battle saw Rafale jets BS-001, BS-021, BS-022, and BS-027 shot down. India failed to provide clear images of the aircraft with their serial numbers.
The report adds that Pakistan’s multi-domain operations also destroyed MiG-29, Su-30 jets and Heron drones.
On May 10, a JF-17C Block 3 reportedly struck India’s S-400 air defense system in Udhampur and hit a command-and-control center in Barnala.
