Why India Named Its Pahalgam Counterstrike Operation Sindoor

NDTV

07-05-2025

New Delhi:
They were rounded up, asked their religion and shot dead in cold blood in front of their wives and children. The Pahalgam killers widowed 25 women, one of them married just days ago. Fittingly, India has named its all-out strike against Pakistan-based terror sites Operation Sindoor. Sindoor in Hindi means vermilion, which Hindu women put on their head as a symbol of marriage. The name of the operation captures the loss of these women, whose partners were brutally killed in front of their eyes. An image put out by the Indian Army has Operation Sindoor written in block letters. One 'O' in Sindoor is a bowl of vermilion. Some of it has spilled over, symbolising the ruthlessness that snatched away the life partners of 25 women. The caption read: "Justice is served. Jai Hind."
The Pahalgam terror attack was not just another strike. It crossed several red lines: tourists were targeted, people were asked their religion and shot dead in cold blood in front of their familie. Visuals of Himanshi Narwal, a newly-married woman with her wedding chooda still on her hands, beside the body of Indian Navy officer Lieutenant Vinay Narwal did the rounds on social media, plunging the nation into grief. Another visual showed Manjunath Rao's wife Pallavi, smiling in a video shot on a shikara the day before, helplessly asking for help after her husband was shot. From Shailesh Kalathiya's wife Shital to Bitan Adhikari's wife Sohini, Shubham Dwivedi's wife Aishanya to Santosh Jagdale's wife Pragati Jagdale, the tears of each woman who lost her partner in the attack made the nation cry. Operation Sindoor captures all of that.
"I want to thank Prime Minister Modi for avenging my husband's death. Our family had trust in him and he has kept our trust alive. This is the real tribute to my husband. Wherever my husband is, he will be at peace today," Aishanya said as news of India's response came in.
In Pune, Sangita Ganbote, the wife of Kaustubh Ganbote, said the government has respected those who lost their husbands by naming the counterstrike Operation Sindoor. "I cannot forget that day. I cry every day. We were waiting for Prime Minister Modi to take such action, and he has given them a befitting reply. Terrorists should be eliminated," she said.
Pragati Jagdale said, "It's a befitting reply after the way those terrorists erased the vermilion. On hearing the name of this operation, I got tears in my eyes. I sincerely thank the government."
This is the first time since the 1971 War that India has launched a combined tri-series operation. The Indian Army, Navy and Air Force conducted precision strikes at 1.44 am on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir in response.
Sources have told NDTV that Prime Minister Narendra Modi constantly monitored the operation. The Prime Minister had earlier warned that those behind the Pahalgam attack would "get a punishment they cannot imagine". "From Kargil to Kanyakumari, there is grief and rage. This attack was not just on innocent tourists; the country's enemies have shown the audacity to attack India's soul," he had said.
India has struck terror bases in Pakistan and PoK, including the headquarters of the banned outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba. The Resistance Front, a proxy of Lashkar, had claimed responsibility for the attack.
"Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistani military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution. We are living up to the commitment that those responsible for this attack will be held responsible," India said in a statement.
Pakistan retaliated with cross-border firing and artillery shelling at Indian villages along the Line of Control, killing three civilians.
Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhary, Director General of ISPR, said India struck sites in Kotli, Muridke, Bahawalpur, Chak Amru, Bhimber, Gulpur, Sialkot and two sites in Muzaffarabad. Sialkot, Bahawalpur, Chak Amru and Muridke are located across the international border and the rest across the Line of Control in PoK. Muridke is where the headquarters of the Hafiz Seed-led Lashkar-e-Taiba are located. Bahalwapur, on the other hand, is in Pakistan's Punjab province and is the base of Jaish-e-Mohammad.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh wrote "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" on his X handle. Minutes after India announced that it conducted the strikes, the Indian Army posted on X and said, "Justice is served. Jai Hind." Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said, "Pakistan has every right to respond forcefully to this act of war imposed by India, and a forceful response is being given."