Editor,
Chief of Defence Staff, Anil Chauhan’s admission that India lost combat jets because of a “tactical mistake,” during Operation Sindoor has led retired generals and the Opposition parties to ask why the revelation was made on foreign soil. They describe the development as “embarrassing” even while several security experts asserted that the disclosure being made in Singapore was “poor public diplomacy,” and had handed Pakistan a propaganda victory. The Congress said the disclosure should have come at an all-party meeting in India and accused the government of misleading the nation on the conflict and demanded a re-view of the country’s defence preparedness by independent experts as had been done in case of the Kargil War. The government had needlessly sent the CDS to Singapore.
A security expert said in a post on X, “Such admissions should have been made from Indian soil, accompanied by India’s own estimates of the damage inflicted on Pakistan in the brief war.” That Pakistan’s chairman of the joint chiefs of staff, too, attended the Singapore event – the annual Shangri-La Dialogue, an inter-governmental security conference had served to further hyphenate India with Pakistan, many said.
A former major general said it is “embarrassing” for the CDS to choose a foreign country to admit losses, that too a full three weeks after the operation.” The government and the armed forces should have made a detailed statement before the domestic media. I don’t understand who briefed him and whether he was briefed at all,” the retired general said.
“Frankly, I do not understand the need to be so coy about this. A mature military should be able to acknowledge losses, learn from them and move on,” remarked commentator Praveen Swami. The reluctance to admit the loss of aircraft and the number of such aircraft has given rise to needless speculation that India’s losses were more severe than the government or the armed forces are willing to admit in public.
The Indian government has also not denied reports that a French audit team from Dassault Aviation, keen to physically inspect the damage, if any, to the Rafale fighter planes it supplied to the IAF, was not given permission to visit IAF bases.
The CDS has also come in for criticism from strategic and defence experts. An expert has weighed in to say, “What Anil Chauhan is saying is that for two days IAF fleet was grounded. This is enough reason for him to resign — making light of a serious matter. When for two days out of four, the IAF (which will be the key determinant of war outcome) is not in the air, it needs some guts to say that India did well in Operation Sindoor.”
Experts. also batted for an IAF officer as the CDS since in future wars, the Air Force will have to play the key role. In a veiled reference to the post-Op-Sindoor narrative by PM Modi and its politicisation, he commented, “India needs a government which understands military power in the changing global geopolitics and does not fool around with it”.
In the final analyses we can say that a common citizen has not taken up the statement of the CDS in good spirit because such a statement was expected from the government.
Yours etc.,
Yash Pal Ralhan,
Via email
Urgent road repair and street lighting needed
Editor,
Through the columns of your esteemed newspaper, I wish to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to the poor condition of the road from Rilbong Junction to Kench’s Trace Beat House and the lack of street lighting on that stretch.
This road remains very dark at night, making it unsafe for residents and daily commuters who travel back home after work or business. Moreover, the blacktopping of the road is severely damaged, leading to numerous potholes, which pose a serious risk of accidents. This stretch is also the main thoroughfare for tuition-going students, who frequently use this road to attend and return from classes. It is also the stretch leading to adjoining localities like Lum Sait Sngi, Law Sohtun. The absence of proper lighting and road maintenance makes it extremely difficult and dangerous, especially during the evening hours.
We, the residents, earnestly request the concerned authorities to install sufficient street lights and undertake immediate repair and blacktopping of the road to ensure the safety and convenience of all road users.
Yours etc.,
Puhil Nath
Shillong-4
Interesting facets of an author’s journey
Editor,
Apropos of Bhogtoram Mawroh’s article, “Education is serious business but not a business” (ST May 27, 2025) was very interesting and also amusing. The narration of anecdotes like reading books stealthily under the cover of a blanket made me smile and amused as it was not only the single instance in that beautiful past but a ploy to avoid detection from our parents and elders. I like to cite a story of a friend who had the habit of reading novels as in those days reading novels was very prevalent. The friend used to cover the novel with an exercise book and pretend that he was studying from his school book. One day his father caught him in the act and severely reprimanded him.
Many a times, students question their teachers over the non-availability of library facilities in school but instead of a response all they get is either some lame excuse or students are told to shut up and not ask questions. In those past days, teachers had the last word and no one dared to argue with them. However, what I wish to convey is that Bhogtoram Mawroh’s piece on his early life and career was very interesting and worth reading.
Yours etc.,
Deepak Chhetry
Tura