Former Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa On Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja's Wife's Question: 'It Hit Me Quite Badly'

Former Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa, in an exclusive interview with BharathINN, opened up about one of the most emotionally difficult moments surrounding the death of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja during the 1999 Kargil conflict.

Addressing a scene in the OTT series on Netflix, Operation Safed Sagar, depicting Ahuja's grieving wife questioning Dhanoa's character (played by Jimmy Shergill) over why he had sent her husband on the mission, the former IAF chief clarified that the conversation shown on screen was not exactly what happened in real life.

Dhanoa recalled that when he brought Ahuja’s body, his wife asked him a "very simple" but deeply relevant question.

"I was sure he would come back," Dhanoa said, quoting Ahuja's Wife. Explaining the relevance of the question, he claimed that he had an exceptionally strong flight safety record and had never lost a pilot under his command.

Dhanoa said that during his tenure with the 17 Squadron, including his years as flight commander and deputy, the unit had witnessed two Category-I accidents involving ejections. In both cases, the pilots survived and eventually returned to flying.

"People think, you know, in a MiG-21 squadron, it's very accident-prone. Zero. Not even a tyre burst,” he said, underlining the confidence he had in his squadron’s safety record.

The former Air Chief Marshal said that it was precisely because of this track record that Ahuja’s death had such a profound impact on him.

Recalling the question from Ahuja’s wife, Dhanoa said it was “very relevant” and admitted that it affected him deeply. “She asked a very relevant question which hit me quite badly,” Dhanoa said.

The comments come as the portrayal of the Kargil War and the circumstances surrounding Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja’s final mission continue to draw attention, with Dhanoa’s first-hand account offering a glimpse into the personal and professional burden borne by commanders during wartime.

Ex-IAF Chief Dhanoa On Why India Didn’t Cross LoC

Air Chief Marshal (retired) BS Dhanoa, during the interview, also revealed details about the force's Operation Safed Sagar during the 1999 Kargil War and addressed constraints faced by the IAF during the operation, as it was not allowed to cross the Line of Control (LoC), stating military objectives "flow out of the political objectives."

Notably, during the 1999 Kargil War, one of the most significant strategic decisions made by India was the strict order given to the Indian Armed Forces: not to cross the LoC.

Talking about the then NDA government's decision, the former IAF chief said, "The decision is of the political leadership. Military objectives flow out of the political objectives. So if the political objective is to fight a just war and not escalate it, then so be it. We have to adapt accordingly."

He also dismissed the narrative that military should ever override political objectives, noting that believing otherwise is a "wrong notion."

"It's not the other way around," he added.