Mysuru: Konnur village in Gokak taluk, Belagavi district, is abuzz with pride and celebration as its daughter-in-law, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi, emerges as a national hero following her prominent role in India’s ‘Operation Sindoor’ against terrorists in Pakistan.

Colonel Qureshi, an officer in the Indian Army’s Corps of Signals, co-led the media briefing on Operation Sindoor, India’s decisive response to the Pahalgam terror attack.

Originally from Vadodara, Gujarat, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi married Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi of Konnur in 2015. Both serve as Colonels in the Indian Army and have a son. The couple’s dedication to national service has become a source of inspiration in their community.

Several pioneering achievements mark Colonel Sofiya Qureshi’s military career. In 2016, she became the first woman officer to lead an Indian Army contingent in a large multinational military exercise, Exercise Force 18, involving ASEAN Plus countries. She also served in the United Nations Peacekeeping Mission at Congo in 2006.

Her leadership and commitment have not only brought recognition to her village and State but have also highlighted the evolving role of women in the Indian Armed Forces. Currently, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi is stationed in Jammu, while her husband, Colonel Tajuddin Bagewadi, serves in Jhansi.

Third-generation Military legacy

Born in 1981 in Vadodara, Gujarat, Colonel Sofiya Qureshi holds a post-graduate degree in Biochemistry from Maharaja Sayajirao University. She comes from a proud military lineage — her father, Taj Mohammad Qureshi, fought in the Bangladesh Liberation War and her grandfather also served in the Indian Army. She joined the military in 1999.

Her father-in-law, Gous Sab Bagewadi, her mother-in-law, Farzana and brother-in-law, Sikandar, reside in a modest home in Konnur village, Gokak taluk. Her elder brother-in-law, Adam Ali, serves as a firefighter in Bengaluru.