New Delhi: More than a year after Operation Sindoor, the government has officially released the names of six military personnel who lost their lives during India’s military action against Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror attack.
The six personnel, five from the Indian Army and one from the Indian Air Force, were killed in the line of duty during the operation launched in May 2025. Their names will now be permanently inscribed at the National War Memorial in New Delhi, joining the ranks of soldiers who made the supreme sacrifice for the nation.
The fallen personnel have been identified as Subedar Major Pawan Kumar, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar, Agniveer Murali Naik, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh and Indian Air Force Sergeant Surendra Kumar.
The names were disclosed as part of the latest list of armed forces personnel who laid down their lives during various military operations in 2025.
At the National War Memorial, the names of martyrs are engraved on the “Tyag Chakra” (Circle of Sacrifice), a key feature of the monument dedicated to India’s fallen heroes. The structure consists of 16 concentric granite walls bearing the names, ranks and units of service personnel who have died in the line of duty since Independence.
With the inclusion of the six Operation Sindoor personnel, their sacrifice will be commemorated permanently at the memorial.
Operation Sindoor was launched by India on May 7, 2025, in response to the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which claimed 26 lives. Indian forces carried out strikes on targets described as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
Pakistan responded with military action, leading to a brief but intense four-day confrontation that included aerial engagements, drone attacks and cross-border shelling.
The operation’s name carried symbolic significance. “Sindoor,” the traditional vermilion worn by married Hindu women, was chosen to reflect India’s resolve following the killing of civilians in the Pahalgam attack, many of whom left behind grieving families.
The hostilities concluded on May 10, bringing an end to the four-day conflict, but the memory of those who lost their lives during the operation continues to be honoured by the nation.
