PM Modi chose name of 'Operation Sindoor': What's behind the symbolic message?

The photo of Navy lieutenant Vinay Narwal and his wife, Himanshi, a school teacher, illustrated the Pahalgam tragedy

In the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack that claimed 26 lives, India on Wednesday early morning launched “Operation Sindoor” by striking nine sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who earlier promised to avenge the terror attack in Pahalgam, is said to have monitored the operation through the night. According to reports, PM Modi himself named the military strikes as "Operation Sindoor" to honor the women whose husbands were killed in the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.

The strikes come after days of escalated tensions and downgraded diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan.

Why was it named Operation Sindoor?

Sindoor, or vermillion, traditionally signifies the marital status of Hindu women. It also serves as a poignant reference to the April 22 Pahalgam attack. Sindoor tilak is also worn by warriors. The name of the operation directly invokes the image of "grieving wife" that became the symbol of Pahalgam attack.

The terror attack also killed Navy lieutenant Vinay Narwal. Narwal and his wife, Himanshi, a school teacher, got married on April 16. A delay in the Swiss visa led them to Pahalgam. The powerful and tragic image of Himanshi holding her wounded husband has become the face of the Pahalgam terror attack.

There was also another visual showing Manjunath Rao's wife Pallavi, smiling in a video shot on a shikara the day before the attack. On the day of the attack, the video of her helplessly asking for help after her husband was shot surfaced online. 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 showed the horror of the attack. The name “Operation Sindoor” is aimed at capturing all these emotions.

Operation Sindoor Live News

“A little while ago, the Indian Armed Forces launched OPERATION SINDOOR, hitting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir from where terrorist attacks against India have been planned and directed. Altogether, nine sites have been targeted," a statement issued by the Indian Army said.

Sources told CNN-News18 that the codename “Operation Sindoor” was approved by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to symbolically reflect India’s response to the Pahalgam attack.

"I cried a lot on hearing the name of the operation . It is a real tribute and justice to those who were killed by terrorists,"  Asavari Jagdale, daughter of Santosh Jagdale, who was killed in Pahlagam terror attack, told TimesNow.

Among the precise targets hit were the Markaz Subhan Allah at Bahawalpur, Sarjal at Tehra Kalan, Markaz Abbas in Kotli, and Syedna Bilal camp in Muzaffarabad, all linked to the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed.

Other targets included the Markaz Taiba at Murdike, Markaz Ahle Hadith at Barnala, and Shwawai Nalla camp at Muzaffarabad, all associated with the banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.