Jitendra Kumar Sharma

Biography

2nd Lt Jitendra Kumar Sharma was selected to join the Army after completing his graduation. He trained at the Officers' Training Academy in Chennai and passed out as a Short Service Commissioned Officer in the rank of Second Lieutenant. He was commissioned into the 13th Battalion of the Garhwal Rifles, an infantry regiment renowned for its intrepid soldiers and numerous battle honours. In 1997, 2nd Lt Sharma's unit was deployed in the troubled Kashmir valley as part of Operation Rakshak. With the area of responsibility affected by militant activity and prone to infiltration, the troops maintained a high state of readiness and frequently undertook counter-insurgency operations and armed patrols. Landmines along the patrol routes posed a constant danger, requiring the unit's Bomb Disposal Squad to sanitise the routes regularly. Acting on intelligence inputs, 2nd Lt Sharma, along with Maj Sanjeet Choudhary, was tasked with a counter-insurgency operation on 31 October 1997. On that day, 2nd Lt Sharma set off with his team along the planned patrol route through challenging terrain. As they advanced, a massive IED blast tore through the patrol, grievously injuring 2nd Lt Sharma, Maj Sanjeet Choudhary and several of their comrades. The injured soldiers were rushed to the Base Hospital at Srinagar for treatment, but 2nd Lt Sharma and Maj Choudhary later succumbed to their wounds. A committed soldier and fine officer, 2nd Lt Jitendra Kumar Sharma laid down his life at a very young age in the service of the nation.