Mohit Sharma (soldier)

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Major Mohit Sharma AC SM (13 January 1978 – 21 March 2009) was an officer of the Indian Army from the Para (Special Forces). He was killed during an operation against militants in Haphruda Forest, Kupwara, Jammu and Kashmir, on 21 March 2009. Leading the Bravo Assault Team, he killed four militants and rescued two teammates but was fatally wounded. For his actions he was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India’s highest peacetime gallantry award. Earlier in his career he earned the Sena Medal for Gallantry for a covert operation in 2004 and a COAS Commendation Card for exemplary counter-insurgency duties during Operation Rakshak.

Early life and education
Mohit Sharma was born on 13 January 1978 in Rohtak, Haryana, to Rajendra Prasad Sharma and Sushila Sharma. He was the second child in his family. He completed his schooling at Delhi Public School, Ghaziabad, finishing 12th grade in 1995. He joined the National Defence Academy (NDA) in December 1995 and later the Indian Military Academy (IMA) in 1998, where he served as Battalion Cadet Adjutant. He was commissioned as a lieutenant in December 1999 into the 5th Battalion of the Madras Regiment.

Military career
Sharma undertook several counterinsurgency operations, including undercover work with militant groups, and earned recognition for his efforts, including the Sena Medal for Gallantry in 2004 for a covert operation. In December 2002 he joined the Para (Special Forces) and became a Para Commando in June 2003. He was promoted to major on 11 December 2005 and later served as an instructor at Belgaum, training commandos for two years.

Later life and legacy
In 2008, Sharma moved to Kashmir, where he continued operations against militants. He was killed in action on 21 March 2009 during a search-and-destroy operation in Haphruda Forest, Kupwara. His bravery was recognized with the Ashoka Chakra posthumously on 26 January 2010. In 2019, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation renamed the Rajendra Nagar metro station in Ghaziabad as Major Mohit Sharma Rajendra Nagar metro station in his honor.