NEW DELHI: India’s main opposition party, the Indian National Congress, has demanded the resignation of Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of misleading parliament over the deaths of Indian military personnel during the May 2025 conflict with Pakistan.
The criticism follows the Indian government’s publication on June 26 of the names of six armed forces personnel who died during the military operation referred to by New Delhi as Operation Sindoor. The names were added to the Roll of Honour on the National War Memorial website, marking the first official acknowledgement of military casualties from the conflict.
Speaking at a press conference on Monday, retired Colonel Rohit Chaudhry and retired Wing Commander Anuma Acharya accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of concealing the deaths of the six personnel.
Chaudhry called for Rajnath Singh’s removal from office and urged Modi and lawmakers from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to apologise for allegedly supporting misleading statements.
“When Rajnath Singh was lying in Parliament that no soldier had suffered any loss, BJP MPs were clapping,” Chaudhry said.
“The foundation of the Modi government is built on lies. They have no right to remain in power,” he added, questioning why the government took 13 months to officially disclose the names of the deceased personnel.
Separately, Congress parliamentarian K. C. Venugopal sought privilege proceedings against the defence minister, alleging he had misled the Lok Sabha regarding the deaths of the six service members, including five army personnel and one air force member.
“This amounts to completely misleading Parliament. That is why I have moved a privilege motion against Rajnath Singh ji before the Speaker of the House,” Venugopal said.
In a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Venugopal argued that “if a minister misleads the House or [withholds] information, it constitutes a breach of privilege, amounting to contempt of the House.”
The Indian government has rejected the opposition’s allegations, maintaining that the fallen personnel were honoured at the “earliest opportunity.”
The Defence Ministry also dismissed what it described as “misleading social media claims” that Singh had stated no Indian soldiers were killed during the conflict. According to the ministry, the minister’s remarks were intended to counter reports claiming Indian Air Force pilots had been killed during Operation Sindoor.
The controversy comes after India’s Chief of Defence Staff, Anil Chauhan, acknowledged in May 2025 that Indian fighter aircraft had been shot down by Pakistan during the four-day military confrontation.
The conflict began after India blamed Pakistan for the April 22, 2025 attack in Pahalgam in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 people, mostly tourists. Pakistan rejected the allegations, saying no evidence had been presented.
The crisis escalated after India launched air strikes inside Pakistan on the night of May 6. Pakistan responded by claiming it had shot down several Indian fighter jets. Following exchanges of strikes on military installations, both countries agreed to a ceasefire on May 10 after diplomatic efforts led by the United States.
