PM Modi named 'Operation Sindoor' as India's response to Pahalgam terror attack 

New Delhi, May 7 (IANS) As India carried out a successful operation against terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir under the code name ‘Operation Sindoor’, it has come to the fore that Prime Minister Narendra Modi chose the name.  

Sources have said that PM Modi chose the name ‘Operation Sindoor’ for India's retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack.

The name Operation Sindoor is heavy with symbolism, especially for Hindu women, who put sindoor (vermilion) on their heads after marriage. Sindoor is considered a symbol of marriage.

In the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, 26 civilians were killed, and of these, 25 were Hindu men. They were singled out for their religion and shot at point-blank range. The men were holidaying in the picturesque Baisaran meadows of Pahalgam when a group of armed terrorists attacked them. Some of the victims were newly married and were in Kashmir for their honeymoon. The others were shot dead in front of their wives and children.

Sources said that to honour those families, the name was zeroed in on and finalised.

An image put out by the Indian Army has Operation Sindoor written in block letters. One 'O' in Sindoor is a bowl of vermilion and some of which is spilled over, symbolising the brutality of the terrorists. The caption reads: "Justice is served. Jai Hind."

The operation has struck a chord with the Pahalgam victims, and Army veterans have also welcomed it, calling it a fitting tribute to the widows who lost their life partners in the savage attack.

Colonel Abhay Patvardhan (Retd) in an exclusive conversation with IANS said, “Operation Sindoor has been perfectly named to honour the victims and families of Pahalgam as it shows that the government not only counts the casualties as numbers but attempts to honour them by humanising their feelings and sentiments.”

Brigadier Uday Kumar W Deshmukh, SM (Sena Medal), VSM (Retd.) lauded the Operation Sindoor, stating that the Indian armed forces can breathe down Pakistan’s neck and can tighten the noose further, if the terror-sponsoring nation doesn’t mend its ways.

Aarti, a mother of twins who saw her 68-year-old father Ramachandran being gunned down by a terrorist, expressed happiness over Operation Sindoor. “Even though our loss can never be compensated, we are happy about what has happened when India hit back at Pakistan,” said Aarti after hearing the news.

“India has hit back at the correct time, and it was the moment we all waited,” added Aarti.

The family of Shubham Dwivedi, one of the 26 civilians killed in the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack, expressed deep gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the armed forces for fulfilling the promise of justice.

Shubham Dwivedi, a 30-year-old civilian from Uttar Pradesh, was visiting Pahalgam with his wife and sister-in-law when terrorists opened fire on unarmed tourists. He was shot in the head and died at the scene. His wife, Ashanya Dwivedi, said, “I would like to sincerely thank everyone who is connected to this operation, especially our personnel in the armed forces and especially Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who personally looked after the operation,” she said.

“The name ‘Operation Sindoor’ clearly shows they stand with us, those who lost their husbands. Whatever the Prime Minister said, he proved it. Wherever terrorism exists, it will be eliminated.”