Modi Government Cover up fighter jet losses in parliament session

Defence affairs analysis

MPs and former IAF pilots are urging the Modi government to reveal the truth after satellite and international intelligence evidence claimed five Indian fighter jets were shot down during a massive dogfight with Pakistan.

In a revelation that shocked the Indian Parliament, Kerala MP from the Congress party, K. Francis George, claimed that the Narendra Modi-led government covered up the loss of five Indian fighter jets, including three Rafale fighter jets, in the latest air battle with Pakistan.

He also revealed that the other two aircraft that were also shot down were a Su-30MKI and a MiG-29, bringing the total to five Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter aircraft that were lost in the country's own airspace.

"While the official narrative denies the loss of the Rafale, satellite images, international intelligence and information from our own defence satellites reveal the truth. We lost three Rafales, one Sukhoi-30MKI and one MiG-29 — all shot down in our own territory," George said during a heated parliamentary session.

He stressed that the government's continued denial of these disappearances does not show strength, but rather reflects a lack of transparency and moral weakness.

George urged the government to immediately come clean to the people and explain the true situation that is occurring in the conflict, while warning that this deception will damage India's credibility in the eyes of the world.

The call for the central government to reveal the actual amount of losses was also voiced by N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, Telangana's Minister of Water Supply and Public Utilities, who is also a former Indian Air Force pilot and a senior Congress Party figure.

"We welcome the safe return of the IAF pilots who have successfully completed their mission," Reddy said at a press conference in New Delhi.

"However, the central government needs to provide a clear explanation for the report that our fighter jet was shot down," he stressed.

According to him, the government also needs to clarify the actual number of Pakistani fighter jets that were successfully shot down by India, to avoid widespread confusion and speculation.