News Brief
Arjun Brij
Jun 04, 2025, 10:34 AM | Updated 10:34 AM IST
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The Gujarat government is developing a memorial park named Sindoor Van to commemorate Operation Sindoor.
The park will be situated in the Mirzapar area of Kutch district, close to the India-Pakistan border, which bore the brunt of drone and missile strikes during the conflict, The Indian Express reported.
“In memory of the unity exhibited by society, Army, Air Force, BSF and other forces during Operation Sindoor, the Sindoor Van — a memorial park — is being planned by the forest department,” Kutch Collector Anand Patel was quoted as saying by IE.
Spread over eight hectares of forest department land along the Bhuj-Mandvi road, Sindoor Van will be developed as a high-density van kavach or protective forest.
The site includes the location where Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a public meeting during his first Gujarat visit after the operation.
During the event, women from Madhapar, who had previously aided the Air Force during the 1971 war, gifted Modi a ‘sindoor plant’.
He pledged to plant it at the PM House, where it would grow into a “vatvriksh” (banyan tree).
“Sindoor Van will be a theme-based memorial park based on Operation Sindoor with a high-density plantation, including herbs, shrubs and trees... developed in different sections like BSF, Army, Air Force, Navy,” Sandeep Kumar, Chief Conservator of Forests, Kutch Circle was quoted as saying by IE.
Approximately 35 native species, with 10,000 plants per hectare, will be planted.
The park will also honour victims of the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed three lives from Gujarat.
Visitors will be able to view murals and dioramas showcasing combat equipment and aircraft used during the operation.
According to BSF Inspector General Abhishek Pathak, 40 per cent of over 600 enemy missiles and drones were intercepted in Gujarat’s Bhuj sector alone during Operation Sindoor.
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Arjun Brij is an Editorial Associate at Swarajya. He tweets at @arjun_brij