Congress has demanded a Kargil-style review of Operation Sindoor after General Anil Chauhan’s remarks about a possible accidental strike on Pakistan’s Kirana Hills, sparking a major political debate on military transparency and accountability, CNN-News18 reported.

The controversy has intensified calls for structured assessment of India’s defence operations amid ongoing tensions with Pakistan.

The Congress party has formally questioned the government following General Chauhan’s disclosure that a loitering munition deployed during Operation Sindoor may have struck the Kirana Hills near Sargodha in Pakistan. The site is linked to nuclear facilities, making the revelation highly sensitive.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that such headline-grabbing revelations cannot substitute for a structured review. He demanded a comprehensive assessment similar to the Kargil Review Committee of 1999, which had been chaired by K. Subrahmanyam and tabled its findings in Parliament in 2000.

Ramesh recalled that Chauhan had earlier made significant disclosures in Singapore in May 2025, and his latest remarks at the Vivekananda International Foundation in August 2026 had raised understandable concern. He emphasised that repeated revelations in interviews and lectures, whether deliberate or not, should not replace a formal inquiry.

General Chauhan’s comments included a clarification that Indian forces did not deliberately target Kirana Hills, but that one of the many loitering munitions sent towards Sargodha may have lost its running capacity and hit a hill. He backed Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, who had earlier denied that Kirana Hills was struck.

The Congress also referred to claims about a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on 29 April 2025 after the Pahalgam terror attack. According to Ramesh, Modi had told the forces that Pakistan must be taught a “big lesson” through an “unthinkable” action, insisting there should be no failure and that evidence must be preserved.

Operation Sindoor was launched in May 2025 in retaliation for the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack. Indian forces struck nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, including Sargodha airbase. The operation demonstrated India’s ability to calibrate its military response while maintaining escalation control.

Chauhan also rejected claims that U.S. President Donald Trump had mediated the ceasefire, asserting that the cessation of hostilities was decided solely between the Directors General of Military Operations of India and Pakistan. He questioned how information about the ceasefire reached the U.S. side before India’s announcement, insisting it had not leaked from India.

The Congress demand highlights broader concerns about military transparency, operational disclosures, and accountability in defence strategy. The party insists that Parliament and the public deserve clarity on the nature, impact, and risks of Operation Sindoor.

The debate underscores the delicate balance between military secrecy and political accountability in India’s handling of cross-border operations. It also reflects the heightened sensitivity of actions near nuclear-linked sites, where even accidental strikes can carry grave strategic implications.

Agencies