>Zwerubae: Undid revision 1031774339 by 2401:4900:B84:C025:0:64:855D:9B01 (talk) The official term used is "killed in action." Martyred is not an authorised term.

2021-07-05T06:24:45Z

Undid revision 1031774339 by 2401:4900:B84:C025:0:64:855D:9B01 (talk) The official term used is "killed in action." Martyred is not an authorised term.

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{{Infobox military person
| honorific_prefix = [[Colonel (India)|Colonel]]
| name = Ashutosh Sharma
| honorific_suffix = [[Sena Medal|SM]] [[Medal Bar|**]]
| image =
| image_size = 250 px
| caption =
| birth_date = {{Birth date|1975|07|03}}{{citation needed|date=April 2021}}
| birth_place = [[Bulandshahr]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]
| death_date = {{Death date and age|2020|05|02|1975|07|03}}
| death_place = [[Handwara]], [[Kupwara district]], [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]], [[India]]
| allegiance = {{IND}}
| branch = {{army|India}}
| serviceyears = 2001-2020
| rank = [[File:Colonel_of_the_Indian_Army.svg|20px]] [[Colonel (India)|Colonel]]
| servicenumber =
| unit = [[Brigade of the Guards]]
| commands = [[Rashtriya Rifles|21 Rashtriya Rifles]]
| awards = [[File:Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Medal Bar|Second bar to]] [[Sena Medal]]<br/>[[File:Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Medal Bar|Bar to]] [[Sena Medal]]<br>[[File:Sena_Medal_ribbon.svg|20px]] [[Sena Medal]]
}}

[[Colonel (India)|Colonel]] '''Ashutosh Sharma''', [[Sena Medal|SM]] [[medal bar|& two bars]] (died 2 May 2020) was an [[Indian Army]] officer. He was the [[commanding officer]] of the 21st battalion, [[Rashtriya Rifles]]. On 2 May 2020, he was [[killed in action]] in an encounter in [[Handwara]] in the [[Kupwara district]] of [[Jammu and Kashmir (union territory)|Jammu and Kashmir]]. He was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry three times, the first bar to the Sena Medal being awarded a few months before his death and the second bar posthumously.

==Early life and education==
Sharma was born in [[Bulandshahr]] in [[Uttar Pradesh]] to Shambhu Dutt Pathak, a soil conservation officer, and Sudha Sharma. The family hailed from the Parwana Mahmodpur village of Aurangabad area in Bulandshahr.<ref name="Statesman">{{cite web |title=Handwara martyr Col Ashutosh Sharma's village drowns in pall of gloom |url=https://www.thestatesman.com/india/handwara-martyr-col-ashutosh-sharmas-village-drowns-pall-gloom-1502883628.html |website=The Statesman |date=3 May 2020}}</ref> He completed his schooling and graduation in Bulandshahr and attended the DAV Inter College.<ref name="Amar Ujala">{{cite web |title=बुलंदशहर के रहने वाले थे कर्नल आशुतोष शर्मा, जिस गांव में बीता बचपन, वहां पसरा मातम |url=https://www.amarujala.com/delhi-ncr/bulandshahr-village-saddened-after-hearing-martyrdom-of-colonel-ashutosh-sharma |website=Amar Ujala |language=hi}}</ref> Sharma wanted to join the Indian Army from a young age and attempted to join for over six years. He was successful in his thirteenth attempt and joined the [[Officers Training Academy]] (OTA), [[Chennai]].<ref name="DH">{{cite web |title=Who is Colonel Ashutosh Sharma? 10 things to know about officer killed in terrorist encounter in J&K's Handwara |url=https://www.deccanherald.com/national/who-is-colonel-ashutosh-sharma-10-things-to-know-about-officer-killed-in-terrorist-encounter-in-jks-handwara-833245.html |website=Deccan Herald |language=en |date=4 May 2020}}</ref> At OTA, he was part of the hockey team and represented the academy at the Inter Academy Games held at [[Indian Military Academy]] (IMA), [[Dehradun]].<ref name="SoM">{{cite web |title=Colonel Ashutosh Sharma SM: A terror to the terrorists |url=https://starofmysore.com/colonel-ashutosh-sharma-sm-a-terror-to-the-terrorists/ |website=Star of Mysore |date=7 May 2020}}</ref>

==Military career==
Sharma graduated from OTA, Chennai (SSC - 72), and was commissioned into the 19th battalion, [[Brigade of the Guards]] on 1 September 2001.<ref name="SoM" /> In his two decades of service in the Army, he was a part of multiple successful [[counter-insurgency]] operations in [[Indian Army operations in Jammu and Kashmir|Jammu and Kashmir]].<ref name="NIE">{{cite web |title=Martyred in Handwara, Col Ashutosh Sharma was decorated twice for gallantry |url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/nation/2020/may/03/martyred-in-handwara-col-ashutosh-sharma-was-decorated-twice-for-gallantry-2138593.html |website=The New Indian Express}}</ref>

Sharma was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry on 26 January 2018.<ref name="PIB SM">{{cite web |title=390 Republic Day Gallantry and Other Defence Decorations Announced |url=https://pib.gov.in/Pressreleaseshare.aspx?PRID=1517875 |website=pib.gov.in}}</ref> In 2019, he shot, at close range, a terrorist who was rushing towards his men and personnel of the [[Jammu and Kashmir Police]] with a hidden grenade, preventing him front harming them.<ref name="NIE"/> For this action, on 15 August 2019, when serving as the commanding officer of the 21st battalion, Rashtriya Rifles, he was awarded the bar to Sena Medal.<ref name="PIB Bar to SM">{{cite web |title=President approves 132 Gallantry Awards and other decorations to Personnel of Armed and Paramilitary Forces |url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1581960 |website=pib.gov.in}}</ref>

On 2 May 2020, intelligence reports were received indicating the presence of terrorists inside a house in the Changimulla village near Handwara. The civilians were held hostage. Sharma launched a [[cordon and search]] operation with the J&K police. The civilians were rescued and the team came under heavy fire. The communication links with the team were lost. After an 18-hour operation, the two terrorists were killed. Apart from Sharma, four other Indian security forces personnel were killed in the encounter.<ref name="DH"/><ref name="TimesNow">{{cite web |title='Army was his only dream': Handwara martyr Col Ashutosh Sharma took 6 years and 13 attempts to join military |url=https://www.timesnownews.com/india/article/army-was-his-only-dream-handwara-martyr-col-ashutosh-sharma-took-6-years-and-13-attempts-to-join-military/586728 |website=www.timesnownews.com |language=en}}</ref> Sharma was the first commanding officer in the last five years to have lost his life in an encounter.<ref name="DNA">{{cite web |title=Colonel Ashutosh Sharma: Remembering the two-time gallantry medal winner who was martyred in Handwara encounter |url=https://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-colonel-ashutosh-sharma-remembering-the-two-time-gallantry-medal-winner-who-was-martyred-in-handwara-encounter-2823462 |website=DNA India |language=en |date=3 May 2020}}</ref>

==Honours and legacy==
Sharma was cremated with full military honours on 5 May 2020 in [[Jaipur]]. The [[Chief Minister]] [[Ashok Gehlot]], Deputy Chief Minister [[Sachin Pilot]] and the [[General Officer Commanding-in-Chief]] [[South Western Command (India)|South Western Command]], [[Lieutenant General]] [[Alok Singh Kler]] paid their respects to the brave-heart and offered condolences to his family.<ref name="NDTV">{{cite web |title=Fighting Tears, Wife, Daughter Salute Colonel Killed In Action In J&K's Handwara |url=https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/rising-above-grief-wife-daughter-salute-army-officer-colonel-ashutosh-sharma-killed-in-encounter-2223415 |website=NDTV.com}}</ref> Also present were the [[Member of Parliament]] [[Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore]], [[Pratap Singh Khachariyawas]], Minister for Ex- Servicemen Welfare Rajasthan and the [[Commissioner of Police (India)|Commissioner of Police]] and the [[District Collector]] of Jaipur.<ref name="PIB homage">{{cite web |title=HOMAGE TO HANDWARA MARTYR COLONEL ASHUTOSH SHARMA |url=https://pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=1621302 |website=pib.gov.in}}</ref>

In the 2021 Republic Day honours list, Sharma was posthumously decorated with the second bar to the sena medal.<ref>{{cite web |title=LIST OF PERSONNEL BEING CONFERRED GALLANTRY AND DISTINGUISHED AWARDS ON THE OCCASION OF REPUBLIC DAY-2021 |url=https://static.pib.gov.in/WriteReadData/userfiles/PIB%20Delhi/FINAL%20AWARD%20RD%202021%20TO%20BE%20ANNOUNCED%20ON%2025%20JAN%202021.pdf |website=static.pib.gov.in/}}</ref>

==Personal life==
Sharma was married to Pallavi Sharma and the couple had a daughter, Tamanna.<ref>{{cite web |last1=JaipurMay 6 |first1=Dev Ankur Wadhawan |last2=May 6 |first2=Dev Ankur Wadhawan |last3=Ist |first3=Dev Ankur Wadhawan |title=My daughter would want to join army, says slain Colonel Ashutosh Sharma's wife |url=https://www.indiatoday.in/india/story/my-daughter-would-want-to-join-army-says-slain-colonel-ashutosh-sharma-s-wife-pallavi-1674848-2020-05-06 |website=India Today |language=en}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sharma, Ashutosh}}

[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:2020 deaths]]
[[Category:Indian Army officers]]
[[Category:Recipients of the Sena Medal]]
[[Category:People from Bulandshahr]]

Ashutosh Sharma (soldier) - Revision history

>Zwerubae: Undid revision 1031774339 by 2401:4900:B84:C025:0:64:855D:9B01 (talk) The official term used is "killed in action." Martyred is not an authorised term.