Army chief shares rare account of Operation Sindoor, likens mission to chess in ‘grey zone’
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Chennai: Chief of Army Staff General Upendra Dwivedi has offered a rare glimpse into the planning and execution of Operation Sindoor, calling it a strategic, high-stakes mission that blended military precision with political resolve.
Speaking to students and faculty at IIT Madras on Saturday, General Dwivedi recalled how the operation took shape in the aftermath of the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam by Pakistan-based militants.
“On April 22, you are aware of what happened in Pahalgam, it shocked the entire nation,” he said. “The very next day, April 23, we sat down for discussions. For the first time, the Raksha Mantri said, ‘Enough is enough’. All three service chiefs agreed decisive action was needed, and we were given a free hand to decide the course. That kind of political direction and clarity was something we witnessed for the first time.”
On April 25, the Army chief visited the Northern Command, the operational hub where the strategy for Operation Sindoor was devised.
“It was there that we planned, conceptualized, and executed the mission. Out of nine designated targets, seven were destroyed, and a large number of terrorists were neutralized. April 29, of course, was the time when we met the Prime Minister for the first time,” he said.
Explaining the tactical approach, General Dwivedi compared the mission to a game of chess played in the ‘grey zone’.
“In Operation Sindoor, we played chess. We did not know the enemy’s next move, and they did not know ours. This is called the grey zone - operations that fall just short of a conventional war. We made moves, they countered, and sometimes we delivered checkmate. At other times, we went for the kill, even at the risk of losing our own. That’s what life in uniform is all about,” he said.
His account highlighted not only the Army’s operational capability but also the political leadership’s decisiveness in authorizing the mission, offering the IIT Madras audience a rare look into the calculated risks and complex decision-making behind modern military operations.
