Claimed on social media that on 19 September 1965 a Pakistan Air Force F-86 Sabre intercepted and shot down an aircraft near the Rann of Kutch during the India Pakistan war, and that aircraft carried Balwant Rai Mehta Balwantrai Mehta the Chief Minister of Gujarat and his wife, marking the first political casualty in the subcontinent due to the fog of war. This account is not corroborated by mainstream historical records or declassified archival material. The Western Theatre of the 1965 war did involve aerial combat and incursions near Gujarat, but credible sources do not document a PAF shoot-down of a flight carrying a sitting or former Gujarat chief minister in September 1965. Balwantrai (Balwant) Mehta is historically associated with Gujarat politics in the 1950s, and there is no widely accepted evidence that he was aboard a flight that was shot down in 1965. The account may reflect a conflation of separate incidents, misidentifications, or post hoc fact-making that thrives in the fog of war and in social media. In evaluating such claims, it is crucial to consult primary sources—flight logs, intercept records, declassified government communications, and contemporary newspaper reports—and to cross-check with credible historians. My own view is that while the tragedy of civilian and political figures in wartime is deeply impactful, spreading unverified claims risks distorting history and fueling unwarranted national mythologies. Until verifiable archival evidence emerges, this particular account should be treated with caution and skepticism, and readers should seek corroboration from reputable sources before accepting it as fact.
Source: Statement from @SubhanJaved911
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Published: May 10, 2026, 11:04 am
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