Operation Sindoor: How Manipur's Rizwan Malik penetrated enemy cover, blew up Pak terror camps

A year after Operation Sindoor, we revisit Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik's daring midnight sortie penetrating Pakistani cover. The IAF pilot from Manipur flew into heavily defended skies, braving incoming fire, and destroyed terror camps in Pakistan. He was awarded the Vir Chakra.

In Short

• Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik destroyed Pak terror camps during Op Sindoor
• Ace fighter pilot from Manipur, flew a Sukhoi Su-30MKI as deputy mission leader
• Malik braved Pakistani fire, was awarded Vir Chakra on 2025 Independence Day

The night was dark and full of terrors. But his Sukhoi jet was loaded for the mission, and that was all that mattered. Drone swarms all over the skies, and lethal air defences below. Each one, a near-certain death sentence for even the most advanced jets. But Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik of the Indian Air Force (IAF) pressed on regardless, unescorted. He flew his jet right into the heart of danger, threading a deadly web of threats to deliver a devastating, pinpoint missile barrage on Pakistani terror camps.

War heroes are rarely unveiled in real time. Their stories often surface in fragments. Some come to light only in gallantry citations. Squadron Leader Malik's is one such story. And it is appropriate that we recount the story on the first anniversary of Operation Sindoor.

In a midnight sortie a year ago against Pakistan's heavily defended targets, Sqn Ldr Malik's Sukhoi Su-30MKI pressed on through radar locks and incoming fire, an act that would come to define both the mission and the fighter pilot from Manipur.

Weeks after the deadly Pahalgam attack, in which Pakistani terrorists killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir's Baisaran Valley, the time for payback came on May 7, and Operation Sindoor was launched to strike terror camps in Pakistan.

The operation involved precision strikes by the IAF and other military assets targeting terror infrastructure linked to groups like Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), and Hizbul Mujahideen in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (POK) and Pakistan. The strikes were "focussed, measured, and non-escalatory", aimed specifically at dismantling terror networks rather than targeting civilian or broader military infrastructure.

Malik was one of the heroes who delivered the payback. He was awarded the Vir Chakra on Independence Day, 2025.

Here's a look at the journey of the hero from India's northeast, and how he emerged as one of the heroes of Operation Sindoor.

MALIK'S JOURNEY FROM MANIPUR TO SUKHOI COCKPIT

Malik's journey began in Manipur's Keikhu village of Imphal East district. He was born into a Meitei Pangal family. He is the son of a retired horticulture officer, Alhaj Hafizuddin.

Specific details about Malik's early education remain limited in public records, but it has been reported that Malik was fiercely ambitious and disciplined as a child. These traits led him to join the IAF about over a decade ago, in 2015. He was part of the 195th Flying Course.

He rose through the ranks and became a Squadron Leader in 2021.

But Sqn Ldr Rizwan Malik stood apart, even among fighter pilots.

He specialised in deep-strike missions and air superiority operations. He trained for scenarios that demanded precision, speed, and composure under extreme pressure, and Operation Sindoor was where he proved his mettle.

THE OP SINDOOR SORTIE THAT DEFINED RIZWAN MALIK

Operation Sindoor targeted nine terror infrastructures linked to JeM and Lashkar-e-Taiba, deep inside Pakistan and spread across the western front. These sites were heavily guarded by the Pakistani military, which has long been operating in close coordination with and sheltering these groups.

Malik was tasked with destroying these targets, though the exact details of the mission remain classified.

According to the official citation by the Government of India, Rizwan Malik flew as deputy mission leader in an unescorted strike package during a midnight sortie. The targets inside Pakistan were heavily fortified, shielded by advanced air defence systems and constant radar surveillance, backed by the Pakistan Army.

The window to deliver the strikes was narrow, and the threat was constant for Malik.

He flew the fighter jet low in darkness, navigated hostile airspace, evading detection and aligning for weapon release. Even as multiple aerial and ground threats locked onto him, he fired his first weapon, destroying the designated target in Pakistan.

He did not withdraw even after an imminent threat from the opposing side.

Instead, he pressed on for a second strike, operating within a high-risk engagement zone and successfully neutralising another target. Despite electronic countermeasures and sustained threats, he completed multiple missions during the operation, consistently delivering precision strikes.

The citation describes his actions as marked by "exemplary bravery, decisive leadership, and unwavering dedication," noting how his aggressive manoeuvring plunged adversaries into "tactical chaos".

Malik was among nine Indian Air Force officers honoured with the Vir Chakra, which is one of India's highest recognitions for gallantry in wartime.

When the news came out of how bravely Malik fought, there were celebrations in his home state, with state leaders and local communities honouring his achievements.

A year after Operation Sindoor, Squadron Leader Rizwan Malik's story inspires the entire nation, not just as that of a pilot who hit his targets, but as one who flew into danger and returned, changing the course of the mission.

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