Former Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan’s latest remarks have introduced a new dimension to the narrative surrounding Operation Sindoor.

Speaking at the Vivekananda International Foundation, he revealed that an Indian loitering munition had “accidentally” struck Kirana Hills, located close to Sargodha in Pakistan.

This disclosure differs from India’s original public position in May 2025, when officials had denied that Kirana Hills had been hit.

Kirana Hills is closely associated with Pakistan’s nuclear program. General Chauhan explained that India had deployed numerous loitering munitions towards the Sargodha area during the confrontation. 

These munitions are designed to loiter for about two hours while searching for radars. If they fail to locate a target, they are programmed to strike a designated area regardless. He stated that one such munition “must have come and hit one of those hills”.

This account represents a reversal of India’s earlier stance. In May 2025, Air Marshal AK Bharti, then Director General of Air Operations, had dismissed suggestions that India had struck Kirana Hills. 

Responding to questions about reports that the site housed nuclear installations, Bharti had remarked, “We have not hit Kirana Hills.” His words had been intended to deny any strike near nuclear-linked infrastructure.

General Chauhan’s words now confirm, rather than deny, that a strike apparently occurred near or on Kirana Hills, even if unintentionally.

This marks a shift from India’s position in May 2025, moving from denial to acknowledgement that an Indian munition likely struck the hills. His remarks therefore close a year-old information gap but simultaneously raise new questions about the strategic implications of such an incident.

In May 2025, shortly after Operation Sindoor, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) had ruled out any radiation leak or radioactive release from nuclear facilities in Pakistan.

However, the IAEA statement only addressed the issue of radiation leakage. It did not confirm or deny whether a conventional strike had physically occurred near Kirana Hills. In essence, the statement indicated that no radioactive release had been detected, but it left open the possibility of a conventional strike.

Against this backdrop, General Chauhan’s admission that a loitering munition likely struck Kirana Hills is not necessarily contradictory to the IAEA’s findings. A conventional munition could have hit near or on the site without breaching or damaging nuclear-related facilities in a way that caused radioactive release. This nuance is critical in understanding the difference between physical damage and nuclear risk.

The strategic significance of his remarks lies in the fact that Kirana Hills is linked to Pakistan’s nuclear program. Even an accidental strike near such a site carries weighty implications.

In a rivalry between nuclear-armed neighbours, uncertainty over whether nuclear-adjacent infrastructure has been hit can influence threat perceptions, signalling, and crisis behaviour. Such ambiguity can alter the dynamics of escalation and deterrence.

General Chauhan’s comments also came alongside other revelations. He assessed Pakistan’s ability to verify Indian losses and referred to India’s principle of “always delivering the last strike” in an escalation ladder.

These remarks suggest that India sought to maintain escalation dominance during Operation Sindoor, ensuring that it controlled the pace and direction of the confrontation.

In hindsight, his statements may serve not only as technical clarifications but also as part of a broader effort to shape the retrospective narrative of Operation Sindoor.

By acknowledging the accidental strike while emphasising India’s control over escalation, Chauhan’s account reinforces the perception that India retained the upper hand throughout the confrontation.

Operation Sindoor itself was launched in May 2025 following the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack. Indian forces struck nine terror infrastructure sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, escalating into a broader military confrontation.

The strikes included Pakistan’s Sargodha airbase, and the operation demonstrated India’s ability to calibrate its military response while maintaining strategic restraint.

General Chauhan’s latest remarks therefore add depth to the understanding of Operation Sindoor. They highlight the complexities of military operations near nuclear-linked sites, the importance of perception in nuclear rivalries, and the delicate balance between tactical actions and strategic messaging.

His disclosure underscores how even unintended outcomes can carry significant consequences in the volatile context of India-Pakistan relations.

Agencies