Indian army chief in hot water for visiting ashram in uniform

Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi raised questions over his conduct when he visited an ashram in uniform on Wednesday to meet spiritual leader Jagadguru Rambhadracharya.

An Indian journalist, Sushant Singh, said on his X post, “Civil-military relations are strained when military leaders align with partisan religious agendas, undermining the apolitical ethos of India’s secular armed forces”.

The Indian army chief's visit came following the Pakistan-India war, which continued for four days after Indian aggression against Pakistan following the Pahalgam attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) that left 26 tourists dead, with India blaming Pakistan for the attack without offering any evidence.

The war ended after the US brokered a ceasefire between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Last year, the Indian army ordered that military officials must adhere to the official code of conduct for “wearing trinket and religious symbols in uniform”.

According to the Indian Express, the order came after some army officials were seen wearing religious markers, chains and other accessories in a social media post.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's armed forces launched a large-scale retaliatory military action, named "Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos", and targeted several Indian military installations across multiple regions.

Pakistan downed six IAF fighter jets, including three Rafales, and dozens of drones. After at least 87 hours, the war between the two nuclear-armed nations ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.

When asked about the downing of Indian jets during the conflict, Indian Air Marshal AK Bharti had said that "losses are a part of combat," without providing further details.