Maj Mohit Sharma of 1 Para (Special Forces) recovered two wounded commandos and killed four terrorists in Haphruda forest, Kupwara, on 21 March 2009.
Haphruda forest, 21 March 2009
Major Mohit Sharma was leading the Bravo Assault Team of 1 Para (Special Forces) through the Haphruda forest in Kupwara district on 21 March 2009, tracking terrorists who had infiltrated the area. He saw suspicious movement and warned his scouts. Fire then came from three directions.
Four commandos were hit at once. Sharma crawled forward and brought two of them to safety. He threw grenades that killed two terrorists and was then shot in the chest.
He went on directing his men. He then charged and killed two more terrorists at close quarters, and died of his wounds.
From Rohtak to the Para (Special Forces)
Sharma was born in Rohtak, Haryana, on 13 January 1978. He passed out of the Indian Military Academy in December 1999 into the Madras Regiment and joined 1 Para (Special Forces) in June 2003. He already held the Sena Medal.
The Ashoka Chakra was announced on the eve of Independence Day 2009. His wife, Major Rishima Sharma, received it from President Pratibha Patil in New Delhi on 26 January 2010. The official record lists the award as posthumous, with the date of action as 21 March 2009.
What the citation recorded
The official citation text could not be read for this article, as the government gallantry awards portal was unreachable. This is a summary, not the citation. Published accounts of it record that on 21 March 2009 Major Sharma led the Bravo Assault Team of 1 Para (Special Forces) against infiltrating terrorists in the Haphruda forest in Kupwara district. Fire from three directions wounded four commandos. He crawled out and brought two soldiers to safety, killed two terrorists with grenades and was shot in the chest. He continued to direct his men, then killed two more terrorists at close quarters before he died.