Major Mohit Sharma was an Indian Army officer, from elite 1 Para SF. He was martyred on 21 March 2009 while leading his Bravo invasion team in Kupwara district. He was awarded by the Ashoka Chakra, after his martyrdom.
On 21 March 2009, he engaged in an encounter with militants in Hafruda forest of Kupwara sector of Jammu and Kashmir. He killed four militants and saved two comrades in the process but succumbed to injuries in the end while suffering multiple gunshot wounds. For this act, he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, the most peaceful time in India. He was awarded two gallantries earlier in his career. The first was the COAS commission card for exemplary counter-terrorism duties during Operation Rakshak, which was awarded the Army Medal for Gallantry in 2005 after the covert operation. Major Mohit Sharma is survived by his wife Major Rishima Sharma, an army officer and continued his legacy of service to the nation.
In 2019, the Delhi Metro Corporation changed the name of Rajendra Nagar Metro Station to "Major Mohit Sharma (Rajendra Nagar) Metro Station".
Early
life and education-
Major Sharma was birthed in Rohtak on 13 January 1978, Haryana. His surname in the family was "Chintu" while his NDA batch mates called him "Mike". He completed his 12th from DPS Ghaziabad in 1995, during which he appeared for his NDA examination. After completing his 12th standard, he joined Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering, Maharashtra. But during his college, he approved SSB for NDA and opted to join the Indian Army. He left his college and joined the National Defense Academy (NDA).
Military
career-
In 1995, Major
Mohit Sharma quit his engineering and joined the NDA to pursue his dream.
During his NDA training, he excelled in many activities including swimming,
boxing and horse riding. His favorite horse was "Indira". He became a champion of cavalry under the
tutelage of Colonel Bhavani Singh. He was also the winner under the wing weight
class in boxing.
After completing his academics at NDA, he joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in 1998. At IMA, he was awarded the rank of Battalion Cadet Adjutant. He got a chance to meet the then President of India, KR Narayanan at Rashtrapati Bhavan. He was appointed a lieutenant on 11 December 1999.
His first posting in the 5th Battalion The Madras Regiment (5th Madras) was Hyderabad. Major Mohit chose Special Forces (Para), on completing three successful years of military service and he became a trained para commando in June 2003, after that he got promoted to captain on 11 December. He was then stationed in Kashmir, where he showed his leadership and bravery. Promoted to major on 11 December 2005, he was awarded the Army Medal for his bravery. During the third posting, he was given the responsibility to train commandos in Belgaum where he instructed for 2 years. Mohit Sharma was then taken to Kashmir where he made the supreme sacrifice.
Ashoka
chakra-
For the supreme sacrifice made by Major Mohit Sharma during the Kupwara operation, he was awarded the country's highest Shanti Kaal Bravery Award Ashok Chakra 'on 26 January 2010.
Citation
Mohit Sharma
1 PARA (SF)
“Major Mohit Sharma was leading the Bravo invasion
team in operation in Kupwara district of North Kashmir. A brave warrior, he
excelled in the art of fighting guerrillas in the jungle areas after spending
four years in Jammu and Kashmir. On 21 March 2009, after being informed of the
presence of some terrorists infiltrating the dense Hapuruda forest, he
carefully planned and led his commandos to keep an eye on them. Sensing
suspicious movement, he alerted his scouts but the terrorists fired
indiscriminately from three directions. In a heavy exchange of fire, four
commandos were immediately wounded. With complete disregard for his safety, he
crawled and recovered two soldiers for protection. Despite the tremendous fire, he
threw grenades and killed two terrorists, but was shot in the chest. In the
brief relief that followed, he continued to instruct his commandos, despite
being seriously injured. Sensing further danger to his comrades, he faced a
close-quarter to kill two more terrorists and attained martyrdom while
fighting for his motherland in the best traditions of the Indian Army.
For this act of exceptional valor, inspirational
leadership, and extraordinary courage beyond the call of duty, Major Mohit Sharma,
SM was awarded the IC Ashok Chakra '(posthumously) on 15 August 09.”
-Gazette of India
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