Prashant Sharma

Biography

Sepoy Prashant Sharma hailed from Khanjapur village in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh. The son of an army veteran, Naik Sheeshpal Sharma, he was drawn to soldiering like his father from a young age. After completing his school education, he joined the Army on 21 November 2016 at the age of 19. He was recruited into 26 Mechanised Infantry of the Mechanised Infantry Regiment, one of the youngest regiments of the Indian Army, raised after the 1965 Indo-Pak war to provide greater mobility to the infantry. Besides being a committed soldier, Sepoy Prashant Sharma was a keen sportsman who excelled in various field games. He had a special passion for cycling and nurtured a dream of representing the country at the international level, practising regularly and buying a high-end cycle out of his own savings. After serving for a couple of years with his parent unit, he was deputed to the 50 Rashtriya Rifles battalion deployed in Jammu and Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. In August 2020, his unit was operating in the militancy-affected Pulwama district. Acting on intelligence about terrorists sheltering in Zadoora village, a joint operation was launched on 29 August 2020 by 50 RR along with elements of the CRPF and Jammu & Kashmir Police. Sepoy Prashant Sharma was in the lead element of his party when it came into contact with the terrorists, sparking a fierce gun battle. The assault team eliminated three terrorists, but he sustained multiple gunshot wounds. Despite being grievously injured, he continued to fight until he collapsed. Evacuated to 92 Base Hospital, Srinagar, he succumbed to his injuries and was martyred at the age of 23, laying down his life in the line of duty.