The Anniversary Delhi Doesn’t Want You to Remember
It is one year since Operation Sindoor was conducted by India and, if you were hoping to have some information on intelligence failings leading up to it, security weaknesses allowing it to happen, or post- operational accountability-you will be sorely disappointed. The information you’ll receive is all about a successful military mission. You won’t know what really happened on the day when 26 civilians died before ₹ 3,400 crore missiles could fly, why south Indian families, who lost their loved ones and gave more, are only a footnote in the north Indian electoral saga.
The first anniversary came around May 7, 2026, with military parades, exhibitions, and the speech of Defense Minister, Mr. Rajnath Singh, on “zero tolerance for terrorism.” Notably missing from his address? Any reference to unanswered questions plaguing the mission.
The Chronology that does not Make Sense
Three terrorists armed with guns broke into the Baisaran Valley on April 22, 2025, and killed 26 people in ninety minutes. The meadow, which is often referred to as the mini-Switzerland of Kashmir, had no guards even though there were dense forests and only foot access was allowed. There was a CRPF post stationed four to five kilometers away, which took 45 minutes to get there due to the muddy conditions. The attackers had modern guns such as the M4 carbine and AK-47, communication devices, and cameras mounted on their weapons. An eyewitness noted that the killers took selfies while they committed the murder. The police received their first call at 2:45 PM – 90 minutes after the attack started. Victims included N. Ramachandran (65) from Kerala, other people from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh. Modi made his first speech two days after the attack. He spoke from Madhubani in Bihar – a state whose elections will take place in October/November 2025. The last 6 minutes of the speech became viral
Intelligence Failure Nobody Can Explain
As per The Wire’s report, there were three attackers two days prior to the massacre. Faisal Jutt entered in 2023, being a part of the Z-Morh tunnel attack in October 2024 where he killed 7 people. The known terrorist operated for two years and roamed around the tourist spot for 48 hours without any intelligence.
The minister Kiren Rijiju confirmed that the officials were made aware of “where the lapse happened.” However, even a year after this, the general populace is unaware of what the lapses were, what was their impact, and what actions were taken against them. Answers to all these questions can be given as none.
The last minister to resign due to security lapse was Shivraj Patil following the 2008 Mumbai attack-17 years ago.
India’s 3,400 Crore Reaction
On May 7th, following thirteen days of “strategic thinking,” India initiated Operation Sindoor. Six SCALP missiles worth one million dollars each. Four Crystal Maze missiles worth $2 million dollars each. Four BrahMos missiles worth 25 crore rupees hitting the Bholari Airbase in Karachi. Excalibur rounds costing one hundred thousand dollars each. Rafale fighter deployment worth 500 to 700 crore. Total Cost: ₹3,400 crore in five days.
According to the Carnegie Endowment, at least one 125 fighter jets were involved from both sides-the largest air force battle seen in recent history. India sustained some “early losses,” numbers classified. May 10th: ceasefire declared.
The Money South India Paid For The Bill
31% contribution of South India to GDP with 20% population. While spending ₹3,400 crore, South India spent ₹1,054 crore the figure double that of UP-Bihar combined (417 crore), although their combined population stood at 25.5% percent.
February 2026: Parliament passed a bill allocating an increase of ₹50,000 crore on defense budget, raising overall budget to above ₹7.85 lakh crore. An increase of 15% was defended under the garb of “modernization owing to Sindoor.” How much did South India pay for this? An additional ₹15,500 crore every year. The Diplomat
Political gains? Modi’s rally in Bihar. Speech about terrorists going viral. “A strong leader” theme ruling northern press. The Ramachandran family of Kerala? No compensation.
The Queries that Need to be Answered
Why was there no security at all for Baisaran? With Kashmir having ‘normalcy’ after Article 370, how can top tourist attraction have no armed guard at all?
Why was there a failure in detecting the presence of terrorists 48 hours before? Attackers presence was already known since 2023. What specifically happened? What were the failures?
Why did it take 90 minutes to respond? CRPF was only 45 minutes away. Why did the pony operators inform CRPF? Why not alerts on a regular basis?
Why was Modi addressing terrorism in Bihar but not South? Did Modi visit Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh? Was the value of life of the South people only good enough for politics?
A Pattern That Should Be Scary
Pulwama 2019: CRPF soldiers killed, upcoming election, strikes on Balakot, BJP wins three hundred three seats.
Pahalgam 2025: Civilians killed, Bihar elections approaching, Sindoor attack, budget increase, Modi’s address in Bihar viral.
Yadav from RJD wonders, “How is intelligence failing us precisely at these politically convenient moments?” Bhattacharya from JMM says, “It doesn’t feel like coincidence anymore but well-planned actions.” These are elected MPs pointing out patterns that should make tax- paying citizens, especially those in the South who finance these responses, uneasy. Citizens might wonder if these are cases where attacks happen just before North elections and responses worth thousands of crores take place.
What We Got Instead
The triumphal story peddled by PIB talks about how “Sindoor reshaped the geopolitics of South Asia with an unprecedented clarity because of Modi’s decisive leadership.”
The Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen Chauhan, declared in August 2025, that “the political objective can be realized today by short duration wars.” Not military objectives, but political ones.
The parameters for success were in terms of outcomes, such as camps being razed to ground, the number of terrorists killed, Pakistan being forced into a ceasefire. But missing from all this was whether the money spent on war, ₹ 3,400 crore in total, could have averted the strike through intelligence gathering.
The Verdict
While Operation Sindoor may have caused destruction, sent messages to Pakistan, and showcased ability, one year on, it has shown that even in a security crisis, politics will always come into play, with South India paying, and North India benefiting.
26 Indians died on April 22, 2025. The families deserved better than 3,400 crore missiles being fired in the midst of Bihar elections. They deserved explanations for the intelligence failure. They deserved an explanation of the security failure. They deserved justice. They deserved compensation. They deserved a Prime Minister visiting their homes before Bihar meetings.
But instead, they got Operation Sindoor-wherein national security and politics were pitted against each other, and politics emerged victorious.
