Might of Indian military felt in Rawalpindi: Rajnath Singh on Operation Sindoor
New Delhi, May 11 (PTI): Under Operation Sindoor, Indian armed forces not only struck Pakistani military bases near the border but their might was even felt in Rawalpindi where the headquarters of the Pakistani Army is located, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said on Sunday.
He said the Indian military has punished anti-India forces and terrorists who had wiped off the vermilion of many families through the Pahalgam terror attack.
Speaking virtually at an event in Lucknow to inaugurate a BrahMos production unit, the defence minister said Operation Sindoor is not just a military action, but a symbol of India's political, social and strategic will against terrorism.
Operation Sindoor was launched on early May 7 to destroy nine terror infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack. All subsequent retaliations to Pakistani offensives were carried out under Operation Sindoor.
India and Pakistan on Saturday announced reaching an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea, with immediate effect.
Singh said the entire country is "congratulating the Indian military for success of the operation.
"This operation is a demonstration of India's strong will against terrorism and also the capability and determination of the military power," he said.
"We have shown that whenever India takes any action against terrorism, even the land across the border will not be safe for the terrorists and their masters," he said.
Singh said Indian forces launched Operation Sindoor with the aim of destroying the terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan.
"We never targeted their civilians. But Pakistan not only targeted civilian areas of India but also tried to attack temples, gurudwaras and churches," he noted.
"The Indian Army has displayed valour and courage as well as restraint and has given a befitting reply by attacking many of Pakistan's military bases," he said.
"We not only took action against the military bases near the border but the threat of Indian forces was felt even in Rawalpindi where the headquarters of the Pakistani army is located," he added.
The defence minister said the whole world saw the consequences of committing and getting terrorist incidents carried out in India.
After the Uri incident, our army entered Pakistan and carried out surgical strikes, after the Pulwama attack, we carried out Balakot air strikes, and now the world is seeing how India entered Pakistan and carried out multiple strikes following the Pahalgam attack, he said.
"Following the policy of zero tolerance against terrorism, our Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it clear that this is the new India which will take effective action against terrorism on both sides of the border," he said.
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MP boat tragedy: Death toll climbs to 12; search on for one missing person
Jabalpur (PTI): The body of a 5-year-old boy was recovered from the Bargi Dam in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur district on Sunday morning, taking the death toll in the cruise boat tragedy to 12, while search continued for one missing person, police said.
The boat, around 20 years old and operated by the state tourism department, capsized during a storm on Thursday evening.
The body of Mayuram (5) has been fished out of the dam. Search is underway for Kamraj (aged around 50), an employee of the Ordnance Factory in Khamaria, Bargi police station house officer (SHO) Neelesh Dohare told PTI.
More than 200 rescuers, including around 20 Army divers airlifted from Agra, National Disaster Response Force, State Disaster Response Force and local divers, were searching for the man 40-50 feet deep in the water in a radius of 5 km, according to police.
Of the 41 identified passengers on board the ill-fated vessel, 28 were rescued after the incident, police earlier said.
The CCTV footage near the boarding point showed 43 people heading towards the boat, while the identities of 41 passengers have been confirmed so far, they said.
The state government on Friday ordered a probe into the tragedy and dismissed three crew members. It also banned the operation of similar vessels in the state.
