Of sindoor & women in uniform: India carries out Pahalgam justice with two powerful messages

(L) Two women officers brief media about the details of India's strikes in Pakistan; (R) wife of victim sits motionless besides her husband's body in Pahalgam

Two senior women officers of the Indian Armed Forces — Wing Commander Vyomika Singh and Colonel Sofiya Qureshi — jointly briefed the media on “Operation Sindoor”, giving details of India's bold terror strikes in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The briefing shed light on India's response to the Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives on April 22.

The decision to name the mission "Operation Sindoor"—a powerful nod to the women who lost their husbands in the brutal April 22 attack—and to have two women defence officers lead the media briefing was deeply symbolic and evocative.

It reflected India's commitment of not just ending terrorism by the root but also honouring the widows of those who died in the Pahalgam attack.

Hindu women put sindoor or vermilion on their head to signify their married status. On April 22, a heartbreaking image of a woman, sitting in shock beside her husband's body, spread widely on social media, symbolising the tragic terror attack.

Operation sindoor live

The woman, Himanshi Narwal, had been married to 26-year-old naval officer Vinay Narwal for less than a week. The couple, on their honeymoon, saw their celebration turned into a tragedy when Vinay was shot dead. He was reportedly asked about his religion and subsequently shot dead.

Another visual showed Manjunath Rao's wife Pallavi, smiling in a video shot on a shikara the day before 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 images of each woman who lost her partner in the attack evoked strong emotional responses from citizens across India.

It was fitting then that the operation to avenge the deaths was named 'Sindoor'. An image put out by the Indian Army had Operation Sindoor written in block letters. One 'O' in Sindoor is a bowl of vermilion. The caption read, "Justice is served. Jai Hind."

Sources said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi himself proposed the name of the operation.

Keeping the two women officials at the forefront also underscored the communication strategy of the operation and marked a significant moment in the evolving role of women in India's defence services.

Who is Sofiya Qureshi?

In March 2016, Qureshi became the first lady officer to ever lead an Army contingent at a multi- national military exercise.

At 35, she was selected by a group of peace trainers to lead the international military force in Exercise Force 18. She is an officer in the Signal Corps, responsible for military communications and information systems.

She has also served in the United Nations peace mission in Congo in 2006. According to reports, she hails from Gujarat and holds a postgraduate degree in biochemistry.

According to reports, terrorists killed tourists by filming the act with head-mounted cameras and took selfies with the victims. The attackers also specifically targeted tourists based on their religion.

Who is Vyomika Singh?

Wing Commander Singh has logged more than 2,500 flying hours. She has operated helicopters like the Chetak and Cheetah in some of the toughest terrains, including Jammu and Kashmir and the Northeast.

Singh joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) and later completed her engineering. She was the first person in her family to join the armed forces.

Singh was commissioned as a helicopter pilot in the IAF and received a permanent commission in the branch on December 18, 2019, according to a report by Economic Times.

Her presence at the briefing also highlighted the role of professional officers in maintaining communication between the military and the public during crisis situations.