Congress leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday sought breach of privilege proceedings against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, accusing him of misleading the Lok Sabha over the deaths of Indian armed forces personnel
during Operation Sindoor.
Venugopal wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, alleging that Singh’s statement in Parliament during the July 2025 debate on Operation Sindoor, that no Indian soldier had been killed during the operation, was contradicted by the subsequent official acknowledgement that six security personnel had laid down their lives.
Sharing details of his letter on X, Venugopal accused the Defence Minister of making what he described as a “straightforward, clear-cut lie” before the House.
“In the debate in the Lok Sabha on Operation Sindoor, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh lied to the people of India. It was a straightforward, clear-cut lie – to mislead the House. How could he, in July 2025, say that no Indian soldier was martyred, and then a year later the forces announce that we have lost 6 jawans?” Venugopal mentioned in his post.
The Congress general secretary further alleged that the government’s handling of the issue had dishonoured the sacrifice of the soldiers who died during the operation.
“It is a grave insult to the families of these six martyrs and the entire armed forces that the people of India were not told of their bravery and ultimate sacrifice,” he said.
He also asserted that the soldiers lost their lives while protecting the country from its enemies, but claimed that “the so-called nationalist Government simply lied about their martyrdom.”
Venugopal said he had requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to initiate privilege proceedings against the Defence Minister, arguing that misleading Parliament or withholding information from the House amounts to a breach of privilege and contempt of the House.
In his post, the Congress leader also shared a copy of the breach of privilege notice submitted against Rajnath Singh.
Referring to the Defence Minister’s earlier statement in Parliament, the notice stated that official records now acknowledge the deaths of six armed forces personnel during Operation Sindoor.
The notice named them as Subedar Major Pawan Kumar of the Indian Army, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Vir Chakra, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar, Aviation Technician Mood Murlinaik, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh, all from the Indian Army, and Sergeant Surendra Kumar, Vayu Sena Medal, of the Indian Air Force.
“The aforementioned position clearly indicates that the Minister of Defence, while stating on the floor of the House that there had been no casualties during Operation Sindoor, was clearly misleading and incorrect,” the notice said.
“It is well established that misleading the House or withholding information from the House by a Minister on the Floor of the House constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of the House. In view of the foregoing, I request that privilege proceedings may be initiated against the Minister of Defence in the matter,” it added.
The development comes after the names of the six Indian security personnel who lost their lives during Operation Sindoor in May 2025 were inscribed at the National War Memorial in New Delhi.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India in response to the terror attack in Pahalgam, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK). India later carried out strikes on Pakistani airbases after Islamabad escalated the conflict, according to official accounts.
The government has not yet issued a response to the allegations made by the Congress leader or the privilege notice submitted before the Lok Sabha Speaker.
