Kochi- Aarti, a mother of twins who saw her 68-year-old father Ramachandran being gunned down by a terrorist in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam on April 22, expressed happiness over Operation Sindoor. “Even though our loss can never be compensated, we are happy about what has happened when India hit back at Pakistan,” said Aarti after hearing the news. “India has hit back at the correct time, and it was the moment we all waited. It’s good that the common man has not been affected in this attack,” added Aarti.

A former non-resident Indian who returned from the Middle East five years ago, Ramachandran was a staunch BJP supporter. He had unsuccessfully contested local body polls and was among those shortlisted as a potential BJP candidate for civic elections to be held later this year. Aarti, a mother of twin boys, was seen often breaking down last month while recounting the horrifying moment when her father was shot dead by a terrorist, and also watched by her kids. She, along with her parents, was holidaying in Pahalgam, Kashmir, when Ramachandran was gunned down by terrorists. Aarti had said then that the terrorist had put something on her head, following which her sons cried out aloud.

According to her, maybe hearing the cries of my boys, the terrorist walked away without harming them. Ramachandran’s funeral was attended by two Governors, state ministers, actors and hundreds of people. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan and several leading political personalities visited Aarti and pledged their moral support to the family. In a military operation following the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 civilian lives, India launched 'Operation Sindoor', striking nine high-value terror targets deep inside Pakistani territory.

The operation, executed with surgical precision, was closely monitored by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior security officials through the night. The Indian Army confirmed that the strikes were meticulously planned and executed, ensuring that no civilian or military infrastructure in Pakistan was affected. The operation targeted infrastructure linked to terror groups responsible for the April 22 Pahalgam attack, which killed 25 Indian nationals and one Nepali citizen in Jammu and Kashmir.