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'We don't count body bags': Air Marshal Bharti, Col. Qureshi - a year later, faces of Op Sindoor still hit hard
Details of Op Sindoor were disclosed amid combat in May last year routinely by Indian officers,whose hard-hitting statements still probably still haunt Pak.
It was this day last year when Indian armed forces woke the nation up to their update of avenging the April 22 Pahalgam terrorist attack by striking terror infrastructure in Pakistan and PoK under Operation Sindoor — an exercise which sparked curiosity for details that were later presented to the world by some military officials who went on to become the faces of the action.
The details of Operation Sindoor's progress were brought to the public through press briefings that were routinely held by three women officers — Colonel Sofiya Qureshi (Army), Wing Commander Vyomika Singh (Indian Air Force), and Commander Prerna Deosthalee (Navy) — earning recognition as trailblazing Indian Armed Forces personnel who became prominent faces of the 2025 retaliatory strike against terror camps.
Routine press briefings on Operation Sindoor were also held by the then DGMO Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai, DG Air Operations, Air Marshal AK Bharti and Vice Admiral AN Pramod, DG Navy Operations - who gained popularity for their no-holds barred responses to media queries amid combat.
"Our aim was not to inflict casualties, but in case there have been, it is for them to count. Our job is to hit the target, not to count the body bags," Air Marshal Bharti had said during one such briefing on Operation Sindoor when asked about losses.
While these officers took the podium to update the public on the Operation Sindoor during which several terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir were neutralised, the success of the military exercise is attributed to a combined effort of the three forces and the valour of many armed force personnel.
Colonel Sofiya Qureshi
Colonel Qureshi in 2016 was the first woman officer to lead a contingent of the Indian Army in a multi-national military exercise. At ‘Exercise Force 18’, a mega-military drill involving ASEAN-Plus countries, she led a 40-member contingent focused on Humanitarian Mine Action (HMA).
Born in 1974 to a military family in Gujarat’s Vadodara, Col Qureshi graduated with a master’s in Biochemistry from Maharaja Sayajirao University in 1997. Her grandfather was a religious teacher in the army, a statement issued by the state government last year noted.
She earned her commission from the Officers Training Academy (OTA), Chennai, where she was noted for her exceptional performance in tactical strategy and signal intelligence.
She is known for her stoic demeanor and precise communication style, particularly during press briefings where she worked with another woman officer, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh of the Indian Air Force.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh
Commissioned into the Indian Air Force in 2004, Wing Commander Vyomika Singh is a highly skilled IAF helicopter pilot. Known as a "sky warrior," she has accumulated over 2,500 flying hours in Cheetah and Chetak helicopters across challenging high-altitude terrains, according to bharat-rakshak.com.
“India is fully prepared to respond to any misadventure by Pakistan. Operation Sindoor sends a clear message: terrorism will not go unanswered,” Wg Cdr Singh had said during one of her press briefings on the military exercise.
Wing Commander Vyomika Singh added, “India is fully prepared to respond to any misadventure by Pakistan. Operation Sindoor sends a clear message: terrorism will not go unanswered.”
Singh became the first in her family to join the armed forces, according to an Economic Times report. Vyomika Singh followed her dream with focus and determination. She joined the National Cadet Corps (NCC) in school, which gave her early exposure to military life. She reportedly later studied engineering to build a strong technical background.
Commander Prerna Deosthalee
Commander Prerna Deosthalee is a serving officer in the Indian Navy, who also used to join Colonel Qureshi and Wing Commander Singh during the Operation Sindoor press briefings. According to reports, she was commissioned into the Indian Navy in 2009 and got her permanent commission in 2020.
Deosthalee was reportedly born in Maharashtra's Mumbai and has a postgraduate degree in psychology from St. Xavier's College.
In 2023, Deosthalee made history by becoming the first woman officer to command an Indian Naval warship.
Deosthalee was selected as the Commanding Officer of the Waterjet FAC INS Trinkat in the Indian Navy's Western Fleet.
She had received her appointment letter from Western Fleet Commander Rear Admiral Praveen Nair.
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai
Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai was among the top officials who briefed the media after the four-day military clash with Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Lieutenant General Ghai, the face of the army during Operation Sindoor, was last year promoted as the deputy chief of army staff (strategy) and held the post of director general military operations (DGMO) till October 2025. He was succeeded by Lieutenant General Manish Luthra.
He has also served as the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of the XV Corps (Chinar Corps) in the past.
Air Marshal AK Bharti
Air Marshal AK Bharti is a decorated officer of the IAF, currently serving as the Deputy Chief of Air Staff. He was promoted from the position of Director General of Air Operations (DGAO).
He was commissioned into the Flying branch of the IAF in the year 1987. He was promoted to the rank of Air Marshal in September 2023.
AK Bharti took charge as Commanding Officer of a Sukhoi-30 MKI Squadron on 16 August 2005. The unit had recently received the advanced Phase III version of the aircraft, and AK Bharti was given the critical task of making its weapon systems fully operational and developing suitable tactics.
One of the standouts from Air Marshal AK Bharti's many statements over Operation Sindoor was his answer to a query on Indian armed forces targetting the nuclear facility at Kirana Hills in Pakistan.
“Thank you for telling us that Kirana Hills houses some nuclear installation. We did not know about it. And we have not hit Kirana Hills, whatever is there.”
His remarks came amid speculation and social media chatter claiming that India had struck the Mushaf Airbase in Sargodha, reportedly linked to underground nuclear storage beneath the Kirana Hills, using loitering and penetrating munitions.
Vice Admiral AN Pramod
Vice Admiral AN Pramod is a decorated officer of the Indian Navy who assumed charge as the Director General Naval Operations (DGNO) on in January 2024. An alumnus of the 38th Integrated Cadet Course, Naval Academy, Goa, he was commissioned into the Indian Navy in July 1990.
His important afloat appointments include Fleet Operations Officer, Western Fleet, Command of IN ships Abhay, Shardul and Satpura, Executive Officer Rajput, SCO Sujata and GO II Kirpan, according to indiannavy.gov.in.
The three male officers held a press briefing on Thursday as well to mark the one-year anniversary of Operation Sindoor. They said Operation Sindoor signalled that no terror sanctuary is safe in Pakistan and the mission was just the beginning.
"Operation Sindoor was not an end and it was just the beginning," Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai said.
Air Marshal AK Bharti, the then Director General of Air Operations, said Operation Sindoor reaffirmed primacy of air power.
At the press conference on the anniversary of Operation Sindoor, Vice Admiral AN Pramod said that by striking the terror hubs in the heart of Pakistan using long-range precision weapons, India effectively called the bluff on Pakistan's nuclear blackmail.
