India to Honour 100 Soldiers Killed in Confrontation with Pakistan After Denying Losses

In a significant shift from its previous stance, India has decided to honour and award 100 military soldiers and pilots who were killed during the recent confrontation with Pakistan.

According to the security sources, the Indian military has been under growing internal and external pressure over its failure to acknowledge the full scale of casualties suffered along the Line of Control (LoC) and beyond. Verified sources confirm that over 250 Indian troops were killed along the LoC alone.

India has previously suppressed information about its casualties in what many believe to be an effort to mask its defeat. Now, the government is set to honour several of these fallen personnel:

• Seven Indian Air Force personnel and five soldiers from the 10th Infantry Brigade G-Top have been nominated for military awards.

• Nine soldiers from Headquarters 93 Infantry Brigade will also be honoured posthumously.

• Four Indian Air Force pilots, including three Rafale pilots, are among the awardees.

• Five S-400 system operators killed at Adampur Air Base, and nine personnel from the Udhampur Air Defense Unit, have also been included.

• Two soldiers from Rajouri Aviation Base and four from Uri, including the Supply Depot Officer Commanding, are on the list.

• One member of Nowshera’s Intelligence Field Support Unit and three from Uri’s 12th Infantry Brigade will also receive honors.

According to Indian and international media outlets, India agreed to a ceasefire only after Pakistan successfully carried out strikes on Pathankot and Udhampur. Several Indian military officials and diplomats have reluctantly acknowledged the heavy losses, including the destruction of military bases and advanced fighter aircraft like the Rafale.

Despite these acknowledgments, families of the slain soldiers have reportedly been pressured to avoid sharing photographs or personal stories about their loved ones on social media. Critics argue this is part of a larger effort by Indian authorities to downplay the extent of the losses and obscure the truth from the public eye.

The controversy is reminiscent of the 2019 incident involving Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, who was awarded the Vir Chakra after being captured and released by Pakistan during Operation Swift Retort. At that time, five awards were handed out despite India suffering losses in the operation.

Observers now question India’s motives. If, as previously claimed, India suffered minimal or no losses, why is it now honouring its dead? A professional military traditionally acknowledges and commemorates its fallen with transparency and pride. India’s alleged denial and cover-up regarding its losses in Operation Sindoor have been labelled by critics as “unprofessional” and “shameful.”

Further fuelling these claims, Indian officials and foreign media had earlier confirmed that the Adampur Air Base was destroyed—an assertion now seemingly ignored by Indian authorities.

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