Symbol, State, and Subjugation: The Case of 'Operation Sindoor'
Gender as a Weapon: Power Plays Source: Pinterest On a random afternoon on the 22nd of April, 2025, five armed militants entered the tourist spot of Pahalgam, Kashmir, going around questioning the religion of each pilgrim, and shooting non-Muslims on the spot. The attackers exclusively targeted Hindu men, intentionally deserting their wives, kids, and other female relatives to make a point. “I won’t kill you. Go and tell Modi,” they replied when one particular family distressingly asked to be murdered as well. This is the grassroots of what you might call ‘ weaponised gender .’ Of course, they are terrorists; violence equals cleansing in their language. But what happens when the government sees this as an opportunity to win the hearts of its millions of patriots for whom it is a women’s honor that is of utmost value, that needs more guarding than the common man of this country? Of course , it is not the men who were brutally killed that matters more in this situation, it is the w...
