Vishal Sharma

Biography

Rifleman Vishal Sharma hailed from Chakmalal-Khour village in the Jammu district of Jammu & Kashmir. The son of an army veteran, Babu Ram, he grew up wishing to follow in his father's footsteps and don the Army uniform. Pursuing that dream, he joined the Army in 2015 after completing his school education. He was recruited into the 19 JAK Rif battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles Regiment, an infantry regiment renowned for its brave soldiers and rich history of battle honours. Affable, cheerful and pleasant in manner, Rfn Vishal Sharma endeared himself to everyone he met, and he shouldered his family responsibilities with maturity, including organising the marriage of his younger sister. During 2022, his unit was deployed in the West Kameng district of Arunachal Pradesh near the Indo-China border. The area of responsibility spanned remote, rugged mountainous terrain at an altitude of around 14,500 feet, subject to extreme weather and heavy snowfall, which frequently blocked roads and necessitated clearance operations. On 6 February 2022, Rfn Vishal Sharma and his comrades formed part of a patrol-cum-snow-clearance team moving through the Chume Gyater area near Yangtse, close to the China border. As the troops traversed their planned route, a sudden and powerful avalanche struck them. Its magnitude allowed no time for evasive action, and Rfn Vishal Sharma and six other soldiers were trapped under tons of snow. A massive rescue operation was launched with specialised equipment airlifted to the site, but when the bodies were located on 8 February 2022, the soldiers had already lost their lives to prolonged exposure to extreme cold. Rifleman Vishal Sharma was a valiant and committed soldier who laid down his life in the line of duty.