New Delhi, May 31 -- Hours after Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan publicly acknowledged that Indian fighter jets were downed during the recent military confrontation with Pakistan, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge launched a scathing attack on the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing it of misleading the public and demanding urgent accountability.

Earlier in May, Pakistan had claimed it had shot down six Indian fighter jets - an assertion India had brushed aside as part of the fog of war.

Now, with the CDS's remarks confirming losses, Kharge accused the government of hiding facts from the public.

"Our IAF pilots were risking their lives fighting the enemy. We have suffered some losses, but our pilots were safe,"...