Himanshi Narwal, wife of navy officer Vinay Narwal who was killed in the Pahalgam attack, on Wednesday said Operation Sindoor had achieved what her husband aspired for — that terrorism and hatred would not be tolerated in India.

Himanshi, who was trolled on social media for her comments that Muslims and Kashmiris should not be targeted after the Pahalgam terror attack, said Vinay wanted the country to be peaceful and free of hatred.

“My husband was in the defence forces. When he joined the defence forces, he wanted to protect peace in this country. He wanted to make sure that innocent lives are not lost in this country. He wanted to make sure that there is no hatred and terror in this country,” Himanshi told PTI.

“This operation signifies his spirit that terrorism and hatred will not be tolerated by the Indian government. I am thankful to the Indian government that they undertook this operation. I also request them to not end it here. I want them to make sure that this is just the start of the end of terrorism in our country so that no one has to go through what I am going through right now,” Himanshi said.

Victims of the Pahalgam attack on Wednesday said Operation Sindoor was an appropriate response to the terrorists operating from the soil of Pakistan and thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the strikeback.

For Arathy R. Menon of Kochi, Operation Sindoor was a befitting reply to the terrorists and their handlers who “wiped out the vermilion from the foreheads of several women”.

“I feel that the central government can’t come out with a better name than Operation Sindoor, which had wiped out the sindoor from the foreheads of 26 civilians who perished in the Pahalgam attack,” Arathy, who lost her father N. Ramachandran, told The Telegraph.

Arathy, 36, and her brother, Aravind Menon, woke up to the news of Operation Sindoor on Wednesday. Two weeks after the attack, she still recalls with a shudder how her father was shot dead in front of her and her eight-year-old twins Kedar and Drupad.

When television channels broadcast news of Operation Sindoor and said that family members of terrorists who planned the attack had been killed, Ramachandran’s kin heaved a sigh of relief, said Arathy.

“Until yesterday, there was a pall of gloom and despair. We had been grieving all these days. Then suddenly this morning we got comforting news that Pakistan has got a befitting reply from India. I feel proud to be an Indian,” Arathy said.

“Nothing can bring back my father. It was cowardly of the terrorists to attack innocent men. India took action against Pakistan meticulously, showing grit and courage,” said Arathy.

Her brother Aravind is still in Kochi, lending support to his mother Sheela Ramachandran and Arathy.

“Operation Sindoor has lifted our spirits. The joint action by the army, navy and the air force has brought immense relief to us,” said Aravind, who heads the legal section of Maersk Line, Bengaluru.

In Odisha, Priyadarshini Acharya, the wife of Prasant Satpathy, another victim of the April 22 attack, congratulated the defence forces.

“I have lost my happiness forever. I have to live for my son. The punishment should be such that other terror elements would not be able to raise their ugly heads again. They should be crushed,” Priyadarshini told reporters.

She thanked the security forces for the operation.

“You killed us by asking about our religion, we attacked you by telling our religion. The government of India and the Indian Army should take drastic steps againstPakistan so that terrorism is eliminated forever,” Priyadarshini said.

In Pune, Asawari Jagdale, daughter of terror victim Santosh Jagdale, thanked Prime Minister Modi and home minister Amit Shah for the operation and said that the life of her father had not gone to waste.

“The day Amit Shah came to Srinagar to pay tributes to the victims, the women who had become widows had told him that the terrorists had snuffed out the lives of their husbands. Our government treats women as sisters. As the sisters lost their sindoor, I think that could be the reason the operation has been named Operation Sindoor. I feel my father’s death has not gone to waste,” she told ANI.

Sheetal Kalathiya, wife of Shailesh Kalathiya, thanked the Prime Minister and said the families of the victims should be provided government help.

“I had full faith in the government. Today, Modiji has precisely targeted the hideouts of the terrorists and killed them. This has brought peace to the soul of my husband and the souls of the 25 others. The way the Maharashtra government has helped the victims, I expect the Gujarat government to take similar steps,” Kalathiya told AllIndia Radio.

Aishanya Dwivedi, wife of terror victim Shubham Dwivedi, told ANI that her family had full faith in the government and Operation Sindoor had fulfilled herexpectations.

Harshal Lele, who lost his father Sanjay Lele and relatives Atul Mone and Hemant Joshi in the terror attack, expressed a sense of closure after Operation Sindoor.

Richa and Anushka Mone, daughter and wife of Pahalgam attack victim Atul Mone, speak to reporters in Thane on Wednesday PTI

“I am satisfied, my late father would now be at peace. One of my uncles pleaded with the terrorists to let them go, but he was shot dead. No mercy was shown to him, nor to my other uncle or my father,” he told reporters in Dombivli, Thane district.

Kajalben Parmar from Bhavnagar in Gujarat, who lost her husband Yatish Parmar and their son Smit in the terror attack, urged the government to continue action against Pakistan till it is wiped out.