Indian Military

[TNN] Here’s yet another example of the Indian defence establishment’s continuing ultra-defensive mindset over China: Almost quarter of a century after Army launched ‘Operation Falcon’ along the border in Arunachal Pradesh, the government is yet to promulgate it. Promulgation of an operation accords it with official sanctity, as also leads to better financial and other benefits to soldiers involved in the event of casualties during its conduct. Even as India belatedly tries to counter the massive build-up of military infrastructure by China all along the 4,057-km Line of Actual Control (LAC), the Army has once again approached the defence ministry (MoD) to rectify this ‘‘embarrassing anomaly’’, sources said. MoD spokesperson Sitanshu Kar, despite repeated queries, stuck to the line that ‘‘the ministry has nothing at all to say’’ about Operation Falcon. Sources, however, said the file ‘‘was still shuttling’’ between the ministry and Army headquarters, with the former ‘‘raising queries after queries’’ to stonewall the promulgation.