Op Sindoor: Army felicitates 25 civilians for exemplary contribution in Rajouri
Jammu, June 28 (UNI) The Indian Army today felicitated 25 civilians for their exemplary contribution during Operation Sindoor in the bordering Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir.
Jammu-based defence spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Suneel Bartwal here said that the Ace of Spades Division of the Indian Army conducted a felicitation ceremony at Rajouri and honoured brave civilians who played a pivotal role during Op Sindoor in restoring normalcy.
The locals of Rajouri, Poonch, Mendhar, Krishna Ghati, Manjakote and Naushera facilitated casualty evacuation, humanitarian and rescue operations under challenging conditions, he added.
The event was presided over by Major General Kaushik Mukherji, General Officer Commanding (GOC) Ace of Spades Division.
A video was screened at the beginning showcasing the joint effort and contribution of armed forces and locals in the success of Operation Sindoor, followed by two-minute silence paying homage to those who laid down their lives, including ADDC Rajouri, Raj Kumar Thapa.
In his address, the general officer highlighted that Op Sindoor was not merely a military operation but a national assertion that India will safeguard its citizens and dismantle threats and acts with definite resolve and precision.
He commended all civilians for their exemplary contribution during Op Sindoor, offering critical support when the country needed it most, thus ensuring that the fabric of society was not broken.
Support through constructing civilian bunkers, dual-use shelters, casualty evacuation, stockpiling essentials and conducting civil defence drills witnessed across Rajouri and Poonch districts was indeed commendable, he added.
The locals who attended the event during informal interaction thanked the armed forces for their efforts during the operation and ensured continuous support in future endeavours.
The general officer assured the gathering that the Indian armed forces will always stand by its resolve to maintain sovereignty and territorial integrity and continue to uphold the age-old bonhomie that exists between the Indian Army and civil populace.
The event concluded with a reaffirmation of mutual trust and cooperation between the Indian armed forces and the local population, underscoring the shared commitment towards peace, security and national integrity, said the spokesman.
Operation Sindoor was a military operation launched by the Indian armed F\\\\forces on the night of May 6-7, 2025, in response to a barbaric terrorist attack on civilians in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, where individuals were targeted based on their religion with an aim to fracture peaceful coexistence.
A total of 27 civilians, including a local pony rider, were brutally killed by terrorists.
The Indian armed forces carried out a firm, focused, calibrated and non-retaliatory response against terror launch pads all along the western border.
During the initial strike, nine terror camps were destroyed.
In response, the Pakistan Army violated the ceasefire all along the front, and when they received a befitting reply from the armed forces, the Pakistan Army targeted innocent civilians in the Rajouri and Poonch districts, resulting in 17 fatal casualties and around 50 injured locals, also affecting civil infrastructure, livelihoods and husbandry.
Continuing with their rich tradition of bravery and patriotism, as has been demonstrated in earlier wars of 1948, 1965 and 1971, and undeterred by personal losses, the civilians of Rajouri and Poonch joined hands and worked tirelessly along with the armed forces and emerged victorious.
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