Congress leader KC Venugopal on Tuesday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking privilege proceedings against Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, alleging that he had misled Parliament by stating that no Indian soldier was martyred during Operation Sindoor.In his letter to the Speaker, Venugopal submitted a privilege notice under Rule 223 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha against the Defence Minister for allegedly misleading the House.Venugopal said that during the discussion in the Lok Sabha on July 28, 2025, on the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor, Singh had stated that no harm had come to Indian soldiers. He pointed out that the government later disclosed that six personnel of the armed forces had died during Operation Sindoor.The Congress leader said, “The aforesaid position clearly indicates that the Defence Minister’s statement on the floor of the House that there had been no casualties during Operation Sindoor was misleading and incorrect. It is well established that misleading the House or withholding information by a minister on the floor of the House constitutes a breach of privilege and contempt of Parliament.”“I request that privilege proceedings be initiated against the Defence Minister in the matter,” said Venugopal, who is the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee of Parliament.In a post on X, Venugopal claimed that during the debate in Lok Sabha, Singh had lied to the people of India. “It was a straightforward, clear-cut lie to mislead the House. In July 2025, the minister said that no Indian soldier was martyred, while a year later, the forces announce that we have lost six jawans,” the Congress leader said.“It is a grave insult to the families of the six martyrs and the entire armed forces that the people of India were not told about their bravery and ultimate sacrifice. They died in service of our nation while defending it against our enemies, and the so-called nationalist government simply lied about their martyrdom,” Venugopal said.The controversy comes after the names of six military personnel, five from the Army and one from the Air Force, who died in the line of duty during Operation Sindoor were recently inscribed on a wall at the National War Memorial.Amid the row, the Defence Ministry had said that the nation had paid homage to the soldiers at the “earliest opportunity” and their memory would always be honoured with the dignity and reverence it deserved.The ministry had further said that “certain posts circulating on social media” had sought to “misrepresent” the Defence Minister’s Parliament address on July 28 last year.