Harendra Kumar Sharawat, SM

Biography

Colonel Harendra Kumar Sharawat was born on 4 November 1957 in Jhangethi village of Meerut district, Uttar Pradesh, to Shri Udaypal Singh Sharawat and Smt. Shrangari Devi. After completing school he was selected for the prestigious National Defence Academy, and later trained at the Indian Military Academy, Dehradun. On 13 December 1980, at the age of 23, he was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant into the 18th Battalion of the Madras Regiment, an infantry unit renowned for its fearless soldiers and battle honours. Over more than two decades of service across various operational areas, he developed into an exemplary officer with commendable soldierly skills. By 2002 he had risen to the rank of Colonel and was commanding 8 Rashtriya Rifles, deployed for counter-insurgency operations in Doda district, Jammu & Kashmir, as part of the 'Delta' Force under 16 Corps. Acting on intelligence about the presence of militants, security forces launched a search operation in the Marmat tehsil of Doda on 20 August 2002. True to his belief in leading from the front, Colonel Sharawat personally moved into the suspected area to supervise the operation. Around 8:30 that morning, militants detonated a remote-controlled IED planted on the road. Colonel Sharawat was grievously wounded in the blast and soon succumbed to his injuries. For his conspicuous bravery, devotion to duty, leadership and supreme sacrifice, he was awarded the Sena Medal.