First to enter Kargil combat zone, claim IAF pilots Sreevidya, Gunjan Saxena

Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 17

A major controversy has erupted over which woman pilot of the IAF was ‘first’ into the battle zone during the Kargil war (May-July 1999).

IAF silent on row

The IAF is, so far, silent on the controversy of who was ‘first’ to enter the battle zone, even as Sreevidya Rajan says she stands by her claim, Gunjan Saxena has retorted back “won't let anyone take away my achievements”.

Just days after the movie ‘Gunjan Saxena — The Kargil Girl’ was released, Sreevidya Rajan, another woman pilot, has claimed that she was the first into battle at Kargil and not Gunjan Saxena, who has retorted back “Won’t Let Anyone Take Away My Achievements”.

The IAF is, so far, silent even as a part of its history is now part of popular cinema and being watched by lakhs. The Tribune has emailed a detailed questionnaire to the IAF, on these new claims.

It all started on Monday when Sreevidya wrote on her Facebook post: “I was the first woman pilot to be sent along with the male counterparts in the first detachment of our unit which was deployed at Srinagar. I flew missions in the conflict area even before Gunjan’s arrival at Srinagar.”

Speaking to The Tribune over phone she said she stood by her FB post.

On being asked to why she never reacted even when the movie was announced some two years ago, she said: “I had thought this was a movie about Gunjan Saxena’s life. Now after seeing the movie and how it has presented the IAF in poor light, I spoke up as I was the other women officer present there.”

Saxena, wrote a blogpost in response saying “I was the first woman to fly in a combat zone...”.

She said it was an open challenge to anybody who refutes these facts.