“Some boundaries should never be crossed. India does not forget,” was the Indian Army’s terse message on social media on the eve of the first anniversary of the terror carnage in Pahalgam, Kashmir, on April 22. Twenty-six people, mostly tourists, were gunned down in 2025 by Pakistan-based terrorists in the incident, sparking countrywide outrage.
As the nation pays tributes to the innocent victims, the Army’s social media post on X also said, “When boundaries of humanity are crossed, the response is decisive. Justice is Served. India Stands United. #SindoorAnniversary #JusticeEndures #NationFirst”.
The post, heavily symbolic, also carried a digital poster bearing a silhouetted image of the map of India with the caption “SOME BOUNDARIES SHOULD NEVER BE CROSSED”.
The ‘O’ in the word ‘CROSSED’ was depicted by a bowl carrying a dash of sindoor (vermilion), and a tagline at the bottom printed in crimson hue, read, “INDIA DOES NOT FORGET” with a red line drawn at the bottom. As a tribute to those who lost their lives in the attack that took place in the meadows of Baisaran valley, a memorial has been erected in the hill resort of Pahalgam.
Built of black marble, it bears the names of the 26 victims — 25 tourists and local ponywallah Adil Shah — and has been constructed along the banks of the Lidder river. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had reportedly chosen the name Sindoor for the punitive strikes as part of Operation Sindoor launched on May 7, last year. The objective was to destroy terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK).
In his first public reaction to the massacre, Modi, on April 24, last year, had said, “India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers”.
Addressing a public rally in Madhubani district, Bihar, he then switched over to English from Hindi and said, “Today, from the soil of Bihar, I say to the whole world. India will identify, track and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the Earth.” He then went on to say, “India’s spirit will never be broken by terrorism. Terrorism will not go unpunished. Every effort will be made to ensure that justice is done. The entire nation is firm in this resolve.”
“Everyone who believes in humanity is with us. I thank people and leaders of countries who have stood with us,” the Prime Minister said as he acknowledged the reaction of world leaders after the attack. The military action, lasting four days, saw the armed forces destroying several strategic airfields and installations across the border, besides killing nearly 100 terrorists hiding in camps there.
After launching the decisive military operation, the Indian Army in a post on X at 1:51 am on May 7 had said, #PahalgamTerrorAttack Justice is Served. Jai Hind!” along with a digital poster that carried the name ‘OPERATION SINDOOR’. One of the Os in ‘SINDOOR’ was portrayed as a bowl carrying a dash of ‘sindoor’.
Pakistan later also launched offensives against India, and all subsequent counter-offensives by India were also carried out under Operation Sindoor. The military conflict between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, lasting nearly 88 hours, halted after they reached an understanding on the evening of May.
