Operation Sindoor has turned into a thorn in India’s throat, exposing glaring contradictions within its military establishment, particularly on the issue of deployment of aerial defense guns at the Golden Temple, the Sikh holiest place in Amritsar. In an interesting development on Tuesday evening, the Indian Army contradicted the claim made by Director General of Indian Army Air Defence Lieutenant General Sumer Ivan D’Cunha, who in a media interview on Monday categorically spoke about the deployment of air defence guns at the Golden Temple “to neutralise aerial threats from Pakistan”. 

The Indian army, yesterday, confirmed the Sikh administrative institution Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee’s (SGPC) claim that no aerial defence guns were deployed at the Golden Temple in Amritsar during the recent India-Pakistan military conflict. This admission comes after the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) strongly refuted the Indian Army general's assertions, asserting that no such deployment took place.

The retraction not only weakens India's narrative but also highlights the growing unease and internal disarray triggered by Pakistan’s successful countermeasures under Operation Bunyanum Marsoos against Operation Sindoor. Lieutenant General D’Cunha’s remarks prompted a strong response from the SGPC, the primary administrative institution that manages the gurdwaras and Sikh institutions of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. It had said that “no such permission [to deploy arms] was granted” to the army.

 “It is incorrect to say that the army was given permission to deploy air defence guns at Sri Harmandir Sahib. No such permission was granted, and no such deployment occurred,” the SGPC’s additional head granthi Giani Amarjeet Singh said in a statement, rejecting Lieutenant General D’Cunha’s claims.  On Tuesday evening, Indian army had to refute the claims of its own Lieutenant General D’Cunha and 'clarified' that no air defence guns were deployed at the Golden Temple.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)