Govt rebuts ‘first recognition’ reports on Operation Sindoor martyrs

The government on Saturday rejected reports claiming that six military personnel killed during Operation Sindoor were officially recognised for the first time after their names appeared on the National War Memorial, saying the soldiers had been publicly honoured on multiple occasions since the operation.

In a clarification issued by the Press Information Bureau (PIB), the government said reports in sections of the media and on social media had “incorrectly suggested” that the sacrifice of the six personnel had only now been acknowledged.

Also Read: Government officially names, for the first time, 6 Indian military personnel killed in Operation Sindoor

“It is clarified that the nation paid homage to these fallen heroes at the earliest opportunity, well before the reports in question,” the statement said.

The clarification follows media reports that the names of the six personnel—five from the Army and one from the Indian Air Force—had been published in the Roll of Honour section of the National War Memorial website and would be engraved on the memorial’s granite walls, describing it as the first official public acknowledgement of fatalities suffered during Operation Sindoor.

The government said the then Director General of Military Operations had paid tribute to the personnel during an official press briefing on May 11, 2025, days after the operation. It added that the soldiers were subsequently conferred gallantry awards, which were announced in an official press release on August 14, 2025, while the Indian Army also paid tribute to them on its official social media platforms.

The government further clarified that the inscription of names at the National War Memorial follows an established protocol and that “any suggestion that due process was not followed is factually incorrect.”Calling the controversy “avoidable and unfounded”, the government said such narratives risk causing unnecessary anguish to the families of the fallen soldiers and urged media organisations to exercise responsibility while reporting on matters concerning military personnel.

Also Read: Congress slams Centre over delay in recognising Operation Sindoor martyrs

The six personnel are Subedar Major Pawan Kumar of Headquarters 10 Infantry Brigade, Rifleman Sunil Kumar of 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar of 5 Field Regiment, Agniveer Mood Muralinaik of 851 Light Regiment, Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh of 237 Field Workshop Company and Sergeant Surendra Kumar of 39 Wing of the Indian Air Force.

Operation Sindoor was launched on May 7, 2025, in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, in which 26 civilians were killed.