Operation Shivshakti, Operation Mahadev, Operation Sindoor: Are India's Military Operations Reflecting Religious Majoritarianism??
“As India’s armed forces adopt increasingly religious nomenclature, are we blurring the line between national defense and ideological assertion?” A recent remark by a senior congress political leader drew attention to the naming conventions of Indian military operations as many of which appear to be drawn disproportionately from Hindu religious terminology. As someone who identifies as an atheist, I hold no animosity toward any particular religion. However, I believe it’s worth critically examining how state institutions, especially the armed forces, engage with symbolic language. Whenever these institutions employ names that reflect the dominant religion of the ruling political party, it risks sending a message that is not just exclusionary, but provocative. In a region like Jammu & Kashmir, where the local population overwhelmingly follows Islam, naming operations with overtly Hindu religious connotations can be seen as an imposition rather than a strategy. It sends a subtle yet ...