New Delhi has refused to reveal the findings of an investigation into India's humiliating military defeat at the hands of China 48 years ago.
Defence Minister A. K. Anthony told parliament on Monday the time was not ripe for declassifying the Henderson Brooks Inquiry Report, drawn up immediately after the 1962 India-China war, because it has 'current operational value' and was 'extremely sensitive'.
'The report is still a top secret document', Anthony insisted in a written reply to a lawmaker who demanded a full disclosure.
But independent analysts are critical of the government's stand. They claim that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's government is unwilling to make the report public because it blames India's political and military leadership for provoking China.
The conflict was ostensibly sparked by disagreement over the location of their shared border in the Himalayas. After a month of high-altitude fighting, the People's Liberation Army had pushed the Indian troops back and Beijing declared a unilateral ceasefire, stating that it had achieved its goals. PLA troops then withdrew.
'In 1962 Jawaharlal Nehru was the prime minister of India. He belonged to the Congress Party. Today the same party is in power and is led by Sonia Gandhi who belongs to Nehru's political dynasty', says A. G. Noorani, a leading commentator. 'The government obviously fears that disclosure will dent Mr Nehru's image and help the opposition.'