An Indian Army veteran has alleged a violation of the Flag Code of India in a scene from Netflix’s recently released series Operation Safed Sagar: The Untold Story of the Kargil War, prompting demands for a temporary suspension of the show and a public apology. The makers have since digitally corrected the depiction, according to the veteran himself.
Colonel Vembu Shankar, a Shaurya Chakra awardee, shared a screengrab from Season 1, Episode 4 (timestamp approximately 35:30) on Instagram. The sequence shows pallbearers carrying the coffin of Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, the Indian Air Force officer killed during the 1999 Kargil War and portrayed by Siddharth. The coffin, marked with a notice reading “Head” and the officer’s service particulars, is draped in the Indian National Flag. According to Shankar, the green portion of the Tricolour is visible towards the head end.
“This is an incorrect draping of the Indian National Flag on a coffin as per the Flag Code of India. The saffron should have been towards the head,” he wrote. “I am shocked how the authorities at the Service Headquarters and the military advisors have overlooked this fact. Can someone in the Air HQ connect with the producers to digitally alter/edit the colour and until then suspend the screening on the streaming platform Netflix and also issue an apology in mainstream media.”
The Flag Code of India (Section 3.58) explicitly states that on occasions of State, Military or Central Para-Military Forces funerals, the flag shall be draped over the bier or coffin with the saffron towards the head of the bier or coffin. The flag is not to be lowered into the grave or burnt in the pyre. Reports noted that archival or real footage included in the series itself shows the correct orientation (saffron towards the head), while the recreated dramatic scene did not.
Who raised the issue
Colonel Vembu Shankar (Retd) was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for gallantry as a young officer. On 3 July 1998, during an ambush at Gormatnar Gali in the Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir, then-Lieutenant Shankar led his men against militants under heavy fire, killing two at close range. He later served in Operation Vijay during the Kargil War. After voluntary retirement, he founded Project Sambandh, an initiative that has connected with thousands of families of Army personnel who died in service (physical casualties) to help them access dues and support.
About the series and the real hero
Operation Safed Sagar premiered globally on Netflix on 7 August 2026. The six-episode series, directed by Oni Sen and created by Abhijeet Singh Parmar and Kushal Srivastava, dramatises the Indian Air Force’s air campaign during the 1999 Kargil conflict, focusing on No. 17 Squadron (Golden Arrows). It stars Siddharth as Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, Jimmy Shergill, Abhay Verma (as Flying Officer Rajpal Singh Dhaliwal, “Dhali”), Mihir Ahuja (as Flying Officer C.H. Bal Reddy, “Baldy”), and others including Dia Mirza, Prajakta Koli and Adil Hussain.
Production involved extensive consultations with IAF veterans, including former Air Chief Marshal B.S. Dhanoa. Two former Air Force officers were present on set to oversee protocol, uniforms and details. The series was filmed across operational bases with access to real aircraft and infrastructure. It has been described as one of Netflix India’s largest productions.
Squadron Leader Ajay Ahuja, a MiG-21 pilot, was shot down on 27 May 1999 while searching for a fellow pilot whose aircraft had been hit. He ejected but was killed on the ground. His sacrifice remains one of the defining personal stories of the IAF’s role in the high-altitude conflict.
Resolution
On 12 August 2026, Free Press Journal reported exclusively that the makers had corrected the Tricolour error. Colonel Shankar confirmed the development: “I have seen the full series. It has been very well made. It’ll inspire a lot of people to know about our heroes and the contribution of the Indian Air Force. There is nothing against the series that I have. It is just a small glitch of the national flag which was wrongly depicted, but now it has been corrected. I got a message from the producers that it has been corrected.”
He had earlier noted that the problematic shot lasts only a fraction of a second and could be edited quickly. No formal public statement from Netflix or the production house (Matchbox Shots and Feel Good Films) had been widely issued at the time of the initial reports, though the digital fix appears to have been implemented promptly after the veteran’s post gained attention.
Broader context
The episode highlights the sensitivity surrounding the accurate portrayal of national symbols, particularly the Tricolour, in content dealing with military history and martyrs. While the series has been widely praised for its technical authenticity, production values and portrayal of the Golden Arrows’ role in the 47-day air campaign, the veteran’s intervention underscores expectations of precision when depicting protocol around fallen personnel. The rapid correction suggests the producers treated the feedback with seriousness.
Operation Safed Sagar continues to stream on Netflix. The controversy, confined largely to one brief visual detail, does not appear to have altered the overall positive reception of a series that seeks to bring the IAF’s Kargil story to a wider audience.
