Why did India choose ‘Operation Sindoor’ as the name for its military action against Pakistan?

Operation Sindoor, which was launched at 1:44am on May 7, was India’s response to the brutal killing of tourists near Pahalgam, in the union territory of Jammu and Kashmir. The name was chosen for its direct link to the events of April 22.

The four terrorists who killed tourists at Baisaran Valley near Pahalgam had targeted only non-Muslim men. Of the 26 people killed, 23 were Hindus and two were Christians. The lone Muslim killed, Syed Adil Hussain Shah, was a ponywallah who stood up to the terrorists.

One of the most poignant images to come out of Pahalgam was that of Lt Vinay Narwal of the Indian Navy and his wife, Himanshi. The couple were honeymooning, after their April 16 wedding. Corporal Tage Hailyang of the Indian Air Force, who was from Ziro in Arunachal Pradesh, too, was holidaying with his wife when he was gunned down.

The name Operation Sindoor was clearly chosen to honour the women widowed in the unprovoked attack. In Hinduism, sindoor or vermilion is the mark of married women. It is worn in the centre of the forehead, close to the hairline. It is also considered to be a symbol of devotion, good fortune and commitment to one’s husband. Widowed women traditionally do not wear sindoor.

An ANI byte from Pune showed Kunal Ganbote, son of Pahalgam victim Kaustubh Ganbote, saying, “The name of the operation is 'sindoor' and I think it was named this way to respect women like my mother...."

The official artwork tweeted by officials, including Union ministers, featured a bowl of sindoor spilled over the words Operation Sindoor—all this against a black backdrop. The image was also tweeted by the Indian Army’s Additional Directorate General of Public Information with the caption: “Justice is served. Jai Hind!”.