They Wiped Off the Sindur—We Responded: India’s Strike Named for the Widowed

“The sindur was wiped off 26 foreheads. This was not just an attack—it was a message. And we replied.”

That’s how Indian MP Shashi Tharoor explained the naming of Operation Sindur, India’s military strike following the brutal terror killings in Pahalgam.

Image Source: ST on X

The attack on April 22 claimed the lives of 26 civilians, many of them men traveling with their wives and children. The terrorists, identified as Pakistan-linked operatives, spared the women—only to order them to "go back and tell them what we did."

India’s response, said the delegation, was moral and cultural.

“Sindur is sacred. It represents marriage, dignity, continuity,” Tharoor told reporters at the National Press Club.
“This was a strike on our people and our civilization. We had to respond with clarity—and symbolism.”

Operation Sindur was thus about signaling the gravity of the offense. In a tradition-heavy society, where sindur marks a married woman’s identity, the attack struck a visceral nerve.

“They didn’t just kill men. They made widows,” said BJP MP Tejasvi Surya. “This wasn’t war. It was psychological terrorism.”

By naming the operation after the bright red vermilion mark, India projected a counter-image: one of grief met with justice, and dignity met with resolve.

The delegation emphasized that every target struck was a UN-designated terror site, reinforcing the legal and ethical framing.

“Even in grief, we followed international law,” said Milind Deora. “And we made sure the world understood what we were defending.”

Operation Sindur, in that sense, has become India’s grief, rage, and restraint—translated into a global statement.