NEW DELHI: The names of six Indian soldiers killed in action in May 2025 during Operation Sindoor, the four-day military clash with Pakistan, were inscribed on the National War Memorial in Delhi, officials aware of the matter said on Friday.
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The casualties included five men from the army and one from the Indian Air Force. Two of them were posthumously decorated with gallantry awards last year for their heroism: Rifleman Sunil Kumar (Vir Chakra) and Sergeant Surendra Kumar (Vayu Sena Medal). Sunil Kumar was from 4 Jammu and Kashmir Light Infantry, while Surendra Kumar was a medical assistant posted with 39 Wing at Udhampur .
The names and units disclosed for the first time are Subedar Major Pawan Kumar (HQ 10 Infantry Brigade; died on May 10, 2025), Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar (5 Field Regiment; died on May 7, 2025), AV Mood Muralinaik (851 Light Regiment; died on May 9, 2025) and Havildar Sunil Kumar Singh (237 Field Workshop Company; died on June 6, 2025).
The soldiers were posted at frontline bases during the operation. However, the sequence of events leading to their deaths wasn’t immediately known.
In May 2025, the army revealed it had lost five soldiers during Operation Sindoor.
On August 14, 2025, India acknowledged the heroism of its soldiers who took part in the operation, playing a pivotal role in hitting terror and military targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir; President Droupadi Murmu then approved scores of wartime honours for them.
Among the 127 gallantry medals and 40 distinguished service awards cleared by the President on the eve of the 79th Independence Day were four Kirti Chakras, 15 Vir Chakras, 16 Shaurya Chakras, two Bar to Sena Medals (Gallantry), 58 Sena Medals (Gallantry), six Nao Sena Medals (Gallantry), 26 Vayu Sena Medals (Gallantry), seven Sarvottam Yudh Seva Medals, nine Uttam Yudh Seva Medals and 24 Yudh Seva Medals.
The Vir Chakra awardees included Colonel Koshank Lamba, Lieutenant Colonel Sushil Bisht, Naib Subedar Satish Kumar, Rifleman Sunil Kumar, Group Captain Ranjeet Singh Sidhu, Group Captain Manish Arora, Group Captain Animesh Patni, Group Captain Kunal Kalra, Wing Commander Joy Chandra, Squadron Leader Sarthak Kumar, Squadron Leader Siddhant Singh, Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik, Flight Lieutenant Aarshveer Singh, BSF Sub Inspector Mohd Imteyaz (Posthumous) and Constable Deeapk Chingakham (Posthumous).
India launched Operation Sindoor in the early hours of May 7, 2025, striking terror and military installations in Pakistan and PoK following the Pahalgam terror strike that killed 26 people.
Between the launch of the operation in the early hours of May 7 and the ceasefire on the evening of May 10, Indian forces bombed nine terror camps in Pakistan and PoK, killing at least 100 terrorists. The Indian Air Force also struck targets at 13 Pakistani airbases and military installations. The nine terror camps hit by Indian forces with a mix of missiles and smart munitions included Markaz Subhanallah in Bahawalpur, Markaz Taiba near Muridke, Mehmoona Joya in Sialkot, Sawai Nala and Syed Na Bilal in Muzaffarabad, Gulpur and Abbas in Kotli, Barnala in Bhimber, and Sarjal.
The IAF hit the targets in Bahawalpur and Muridke; the army hit the rest.
In May 2026, defence minister Rajnath Singh said Operation Sindoor signalled India’s collective resolve and new military ethos, and the “short-duration, deep-penetration, high-intensity, and high-impact operation” compelled Pakistan to surrender. It triggered four days of strikes and counterstrikes with fighter jets, missiles, drones, long-range weapons and heavy artillery before the two sides reached an understanding on stopping all military action on May 10.
