Indian Embassy Rectifies Misquotations Attributed to the Next of Air Operations IAF “Losses” during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 under Political Restraints
JAKARTA, Indonesia—June 30, 2025: The Indian Embassy in Indonesia had to send a clarifying message due to an unverified report regarding the comments of India’s Defense Attaché, Captain Shiv Kumar, about so-called Indian Air Force (IAF) “losses” during Operation Sindoor in May 2025, saying, “Quoted out of context, and the media reports attributed to it are a misrepresentation.” The clarification, posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday, June 29, 2025, sought to diffuse a political storm caused by Captain Kumar’s speech, implying that political constraints had been the basis for the early losses of the IAF.
Setting the Context of the Remarks
Captain Shiv Kumar, India’s defense attaché in Indonesia, stated during a seminar in Jakarta on June 10, 2025, that the IAF lost “some aircraft” during Operation Sindoor. He reportedly attributed these losses on the opening day, May 7, 2025, to a “political constraint” that prohibited targeting Pakistani military installations and air defenses. In a statement on Sunday, the Indian Embassy emphasized that Captain Kumar’s presentation underscored the principle of Indian Armed Forces operating under civilian political leadership, unlike the situation with some other countries in the region.
The embassy further noted that Operation Sindoor was aimed explicitly at terrorists’ infrastructure, while India’s response was to be non-escalatory. This context, the embassy implied, was the most important message, rather than a candid admission of unmitigated losses by the Indian Air Force due to political directives.
Political Fallout and Previous Admissions
Captain Kumar’s remarks, which became publicly known almost instantaneously, bombarded the political landscape in India with opposition parties, specifically Congress, accusing the Modi government of misleading the country and jeopardizing national security. There were demands from Congress leaders for a special session of Parliament to discuss the matter.
This controversy is further building on earlier admissions of a far more muted nature. In a late May interview in Singapore, Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan accepted that India lost fighter aircraft on the first day of Operation Sindoor due to “tactical mistakes,” which were rectified later. But he did not state any numbers and rejected Pakistani claims of having shot down six Indian jets as “absolutely incorrect.”
Operation Sindoor: A Calibrated Response
Operation Sindoor was India’s answer to the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack from May 7 to May 10, 2025. India characterized its operation as a “calibrated tri-service response focused on terrorist targets across the LoC into Pakistan.” The operation included precision strikes from IAF Rafale jets using SCALP missiles and HAMMER bombs, supported by Indian Army artillery and Indian Navy maritime dominance.
Captain Kumar had also stated in his presentation that after the initial setbacks, the Indian forces “changed our tactics” to include Suppression of Enemy Air Defenses (SEAD) and Destruction of Enemy Air Defenses (DEAD), which then allowed their attacks to “easily go through” using weapons like BrahMos missiles in subsequent days of the operation.
Ongoing Scrutiny and Demands for Transparency
The Indian government has still not formally accepted the exact number of IAF jets lost during Operation Sindoor. The embassy’s supposed clarification wanted to bring some management to the narrative, emphasizing the context of the defense attaché’s presentation in an academic setting. The incident still somewhat leads to a demand for transparency on military operations and their consequences in sensitive geopolitical contexts, especially from the opposition and public.
