MANDI: The military operation launched by India in the wee hours of Wednesday (May 7, 2025) against terrorist bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) was officially named ‘Operation Sindoor’, a title steeped in emotion, symbolism and national resolve.
The name, given personally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stands as a tribute to the Hindu women widowed in the recent Pahalgam terror attack, whose vermilion (sindoor) — a traditional symbol of marriage — was wiped away in the violence.
Name born out of grief and defiance
On April 22, a brutal terror attack in Jammu & Kashmir’s Pahalgam claimed the lives of 25 Hindu tourists and local Muslim pony operator.
Several women lost their husbands in the attack — men killed in cold blood simply for their faith. One heart-wrenching image that circulated widely across social media was of a grieving woman sitting in shock beside her husband’s lifeless body. She had been married less than a week ago.
She was Himanshi Narwal, the wife of 26-year-old Navy officer Vinay Narwal, the couple having travelled to Pahalgam for honeymoon. The couple’s joy turned into tragedy when Vinay was shot dead by terrorists, allegedly targeted for his religion.
In a series of confidential meetings following the attack, Prime Minister Modi told senior commanders from the Army, Navy and the Air Force that the response to Pahalgam must not only be strategic but symbolic.
“These terrorists did not just kill our people, but turned women into widows, wiping the sindoor from their lives. This operation must speak for them,” he said, according to sources. Thus, the operation was named ‘Sindoor’ — a declaration of justice, remembrance and unwavering resolve.
What was Operation Sindoor?
In the wee hours, Indian armed forces conducted precision missile strikes targeting nine terrorist camps located in both Pakistan and PoK.
These camps were affiliated with terror outfits, including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Hizbul Mujahideen and Lashkar-e-Toiba.
According to official reports, the strikes killed approximately 250 terrorists and destroyed critical terror infrastructure used to plan and execute attacks against India.
The operation targeted a mix of logistical hubs, command centres and training camps:
In Pakistan:
• Markaz Subhan Allah (Bahawalpur)
• Sarjal (Tehra Kalan)
• Markaz Abbas (Kotli)
• Mahmuna Zoya (Sialkot – linked to Hizbul)
In Pakistan-occupied Kashmir:
• Sayyedna Bilal camp (Muzaffarabad)
• Markaz Tayyaba (Muridke)
• Markaz Ahl-e-Hadith (Barnala)
• Shavai Nalla (Muzaffarabad)
• Markaz Raheel Shahid (Kotli)
All these locations were confirmed to be affiliated with banned organisations operating with support from across the border.
Army releases evidence
Following the success of the mission, the Indian Army shared high-resolution images of the destroyed terror camps on its official X (formerly Twitter) account, captioned:
“Pahalgam terror attack avenged. A gift of justice. Jai Hind!”
Families of victims all praise for operation
The widow of Kaustubh Ganbote hailed the name of Operation Sindoor and asserted that by taking the military action, they have “respected the women”.
“The action taken by the military is good and by naming it as Operation Sindoor, they have respected the women. I still cry some days. We were waiting for PM Modi to take such action and he has given them a befitting reply. Terrorists should be eliminated,” Ganbote said.
Asvari Jagdale, daughter of Pahalgam victim Santosh Jagdale, could not hold back her tears when she learnt about the strikes.
“We were crying with happiness. (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi has taken revenge and the way the operation was named, our tears wouldn’t stop. Those sisters whose sindoor was erased by these terrorists… India has struck them at nine locations. It feels truly different and our tears of joy just won’t stop,” said Asvari.
Munish Sood
