The Uttarakhand Madarsa Education Board on Tuesday said that it will include Operation Sindoor in the madrasa curriculum.

Mufti Shamoon Qasmi, the board’s chief, made the announcement following a meeting with Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

“Uttarakhand is not just devbhoomi, which is land of gods, but also the veerbhoomi meaning the land of soldiers,” Qasmi was quoted as saying by The Hindu. “We have decided to include Operation Sindoor and stories of other military operations done by our defence forces in the syllabus which will be taught…so that our students get to know about the valour of the Indian forces.”

Describing Pakistan as a “nefarious country”, Qasmi said that Operation Sindoor was necessary because “Pakistan is an evil country and we had to teach them a lesson after they took the lives of our citizens”, ANI reported.

He also described the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack as a sign of disregard for the Quran.

More than 50,000 students are enrolled in about 451 madrasas in Uttarakhand, The Hindu reported.

According to the 2016 Uttarakhand Madarsa Board Act, the board has the authority to decide the curriculum, select textbooks and materials, and develop course manuscripts, The Indian Express reported.

Qasmi had previously said that Sanskrit, along with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharat and Ramayan, would be introduced in madrasas. However, the proposed changes have not yet been implemented, The Indian Express added.

On May 10, India and Pakistan reached an “understanding” to halt firing following a four-day conflict.

Tensions between New Delhi and Islamabad had escalated on May 7 when the Indian military carried out strikes – codenamed Operation Sindoor – on what it claimed were terrorist camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

The strikes were in response to the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, which killed 26 persons on April 22.

The Pakistan Army retaliated to Indian strikes by repeatedly shelling Indian villages along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir. At least 22 Indian civilians and eight defence personnel were killed.

Also read: Harsh Mander: Pahalgam and after – the singular burden of apology