Indian Embassy Addresses Misrepresented Claims on IAF Losses in Operation Sindoor
Jakarta — The Indian Embassy in Indonesia issued a statement on Sunday to clarify comments made by its defense attaché, Navy Captain Shiv Kumar, regarding losses sustained by the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Operation Sindoor. The embassy stated that the officer’s remarks, delivered during a seminar, were taken out of context and misrepresented by media reports.
On June 10, Captain Kumar spoke at a Jakarta university during a seminar titled “Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power.” He acknowledged that the IAF lost “some aircraft” during strikes on terror-linked sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May 7 as part of Operation Sindoor. Kumar noted that the Indian forces were instructed by political leadership to avoid targeting Pakistani military infrastructure or air defenses, which he cited as a factor in the losses. “Only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defenses,” he explained, according to Hindustan Times.
The remarks were in response to an Indonesian aerospace expert’s claim that the IAF lost five fighter jets, including three Rafales, one MiG-29, and one Sukhoi-30, along with a tactical drone, and that Pakistan degraded two S-400 launchers. Kumar disputed the extent of the losses but confirmed some aircraft were lost. He added that after the initial setbacks, India adjusted its strategy, achieving dominance over Pakistan’s air defenses.
The comments, previously unreported, surfaced in a video on Sunday, prompting swift political reactions in India. The opposition Congress party seized on Kumar’s statements, accusing the Modi government of misleading the public about the extent of losses during Operation Sindoor. Congress MP Jairam Ramesh questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi had not convened an all-party meeting to discuss the operation and why a special parliamentary session was rejected.
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The Indian Embassy in Jakarta responded on X, stating, “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 embassy emphasized that Kumar’s presentation highlighted the Indian Armed Forces’ operation under civilian political leadership, unlike some neighboring countries, and that Operation Sindoor aimed to target terrorist infrastructure while maintaining a non-escalatory stance.
A defense ministry spokesperson declined to comment on Kumar’s remark. Meanwhile, Air Marshal AK Bharti, director general of air operations, stated on May 11 that the IAF had downed several high-tech Pakistani fighter jets during the operation and was reviewing technical details to confirm the hits. Pakistan’s claim of shooting down six Indian aircraft, including three Rafales, was dismissed as “absolutely incorrect” by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, as reported by Hindustan Times.