After the central government on Friday formally announced the names of six army soldiers who laid down their lives for the country during Operation Sindoor, the opposition on Saturday accused Defense Minister Rajnath Singh of lying to Parliament and misleading the entire country. The defense minister claimed in Parliament almost a year ago that no army personnel were harmed during the operation, but now the names of the martyrs have been released, sparking a heated political debate against the government’s opposition stance.
The central government on Friday inscribed the names of six soldiers killed in Operation Hindu on the Roll of Honor at the National War Memorial. Among these brave martyrs are Subedar Major Pawan Kumar of the Indian Army, Rifleman Sunil Kumar (Veer Chakra), Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar, Fire Veer Mood Muralinaik, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh and Sergeant Surendra Kumar of the Indian Air Force. The soldiers were killed during the four-day war with Pakistan in May following the April 22, 2022 terror attack in Pahelgam and this is the first official announcement by the government about their identity.
Following the government’s move, the Aam Aadmi Party released a video of the defense minister’s speech in Parliament, saying the BJP, which carried out the martyrs’ coffin scam, was misleading people about the damage caused by Operation Sindoor. AAP also claimed that this revelation proved that the BJP Sena belonged to the soldiers or Lord Ram, not anyone else. Similarly, BJD MP Sulta De expressed deep surprise at the Centre’s move, saying Operation Sindoor was discussed in detail during the Parliament session last year but no one was informed about the deaths. Dey said he did not understand what the government wanted to hide by not releasing such important information. He said the martyrs and their families deserve due respect.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghosh termed the whole issue as “very serious” and questioned how the defense minister could say in Parliament that no jawan was injured when six soldiers were killed. He said that Parliament, families of martyrs and entire India deserve to know the truth. Veteran Congress leader Pawan Kher cited two possible reasons for the discrepancy: either the defense minister did not know about the six martyrs when he addressed Parliament, which calls into question his ministry’s knowledge, or he knew the facts but deliberately tried to hide them.
“Whatever the truth, our six brave soldiers made the supreme sacrifice in the line of duty but their sacrifice was hidden, denied the honor and recognition they deserved and their families were denied transparency,” Khera said. The opposition is now demanding a clear answer from the government on this sensitive issue and pressing the defense minister to clarify his position.