Chennai, Aug 10 — General Upendra Dwivedi, Chief of Army Staff (COAS), compared Operation Sindoor to a complex game of chess during the inauguration of ‘Agnishodh’ — the Indian Army Research Cell (IARC) at IIT-Madras on Saturday.
“This was not a conventional mission,” he said, explaining that the army operated in the ‘grey zone’—a space short of full-scale combat—where “we did not know what the enemy’s next move was going to be, and what we were going to do.”
Speaking to faculty and students on “Operation Sindoor — A New Chapter in India’s Fight Against Terrorism,” the COAS described the operation as a calibrated, intelligence-driven effort marking a doctrinal shift in India’s counterterrorism strategy.
“We were making the chess moves, and the enemy was making theirs. Sometimes we gave them checkmate, sometimes we took risks going in for the kill—even at the cost of our own lives. That is what life is all about,” Dwivedi said.
Reflecting on the trigger for the operation, he recalled, “What happened on April 22 in Pahalgam shocked the nation. The very next day, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh declared, ‘enough is enough.’”
Dwivedi praised the political leadership for granting complete autonomy to the three service chiefs, quoting, “You decide what is to be done.” He said this clarity boosted morale and enabled commanders to take decisive action on the ground.
On April 25, the army visited Northern Command, where they planned and executed strikes on seven of nine identified targets, neutralizing many terrorists, the COAS said. “We met the Prime Minister for the first time on April 29.”
He emphasized how the simple name ‘Operation Sindoor’ united the nation and energized public support. “People kept asking why operations stopped. That question has been amply answered,” Dwivedi added.
The Agnishodh initiative aims to equip military personnel with skills in emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing, cybersecurity, quantum computing, wireless communication, and unmanned systems, promoting a tech-enabled future force.
