India’s Betrayal of Fallen Soldiers in Operation Sindoor

India’s Hypocritical Betrayal of Its Fallen Soldiers in Operation Sindoor

The new gazette notification by the Indian government citing gallantry awards to the defense personnel who had participated in different operations, such as Operation Sindoor, should have been a time of great pride. Rather, it has become a bitter memory of how dead and discriminative the Indian military honor system has become over time. Behind all this polished story of strategic conquests and technological excellence, there is an ugliness, an act of betrayal of the same men upon whose blood those conquests came.

An Artificial Autobiography of Genius

Moving forward, the government lists are full of references to officers of the Indian Army and Air Force. The names of Colonel Koshank Lamba and Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, both of whom have received Vir Chakra and Kirti Chakra decorations, are highlighted. Their courage is perhaps genuine, but the circumstances in which they are selling their heroism are disturbing.

The official account of the operation put forward in the Gazette appears not to be about respecting the fallen ones, as much as it is about showcasing the wonders of Indian arms, Rafale jets, new air defense systems, and precision-guided missiles.

It is an advertisement sponsored by the state that hides its real purpose. Instead of being a symbol of sacrifice, the medals have become part of the government’s policy to pay tribute to those who suit its aspirations.

By doing so, the government is not only misdirecting the process of giving due credit but also redefining the meaning of courage.

The Forgotten Men of Operation Sindoor

Although the names of officers shine through the pages of the Gazette, the names of soldiers, the ones who faced the firefights directly, are not mentioned. Some died in Operation Sindoor, including Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of the 42nd Rashtriya Rifles, Mudavath Murali Naik of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Havildar Jhantu Ali Shaikh of the Para (Special Forces), and Sergeant Surendra Kumar Moga, a medical assistant with the Indian Air Force. They are all absent from the official records of honor of the Defense Ministry.

This is not religious control, it is erasure. Their deaths were a convenient sacrifice, glorified in local units and then swept away in silence when the medals were distributed. They were the ones who ran toward the enemy line, evacuated the injured, and died saving others. Yet, because they did not fit into the official version of history told by the government, they are denied the gallantry awards now displayed on parade grounds and television.

Betrayal in Uniform

Further, the hypocrisy runs deep. The defense establishment in India has long basked in the glory of its officers, but the rank and file are invisible. It is a culture of hierarchical privilege disguised as discipline, and this has created a system where the foot soldier only gets the funeral.

The discriminatory nature of how the government identifies its “heroes” exposes an unpleasant truth, the system rewards those who fit its narrative rather than those who served the nation. It is not patriotism to give out medals and forget the fallen. It is propaganda.

These men on the ground are killed twice, once in battle and once in memory.

Their families receive folded flags and empty words, while the state erects statues and speeches in others’ names.

A Moral Collapse

Besides, when a country starts politicizing its war casualties, it is a sign of moral decay. The narrative of Operation Sindoor projected by the government is not a story of collective sacrifice, but an artificial myth used to deflect corruption. The Gazette of the Defense Ministry should be a record of truth, not a public relations tool.

Fairness is the true definition of honor. It demands remembrance of all lives lost, including those of the rank and file. India’s tributes will remain hollow until it confronts its hypocrisy and accepts Mudavath Murali Naik and Jhantu Ali Shaikh as part of its larger military family.

Lastly, the forgetfulness of the past haunts the memory of the present. These men did not die for medals or headlines, they died with the hope that they would be remembered. Hence, it is India’s moral obligation to honor its true heroes, not through selective recognition, but through truth and justice.