Handwara martyr Colonel Ashutosh Sharma decorated twice for gallantry

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma is also the first Commanding Officer or a Colonel-rank Army person in the last 5 years to have lost his life in an encounter with terrorists.

ANI photo

Jammu: Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, the commanding officer of the 21 Rashtriya Rifles unit (Brigade of the Guards), who laid down his life during a firefight with terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Handwara on Saturday (May 2), was a decorated army officer. He was twice awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry for exemplary bravery in counter-terrorist missions in the past.

He is also the first Commanding Officer or a Colonel-rank Army person in the last five years to have lost his life in an encounter with terrorists. Colonel MN Rai of 42 RR lost his life in an anti-terror operation over five years ago in January 2015 in Pulwama district. Colonel Santosh Mahadik of 41 RR lost his life in November 2015 in Kupwara.

Colonel Ashutosh Sharma, who is survived by his wife and 12-year-old daughter, belonged to the Brigade of the Guards Regiment, and had been serving in the Kashmir valley for a long time. He had received his gallantry award as a commanding officer when a terrorist came rushing towards his personnel on a road with a grenade hidden inside his clothes.

Sharma shot him at a close range which helped in saving the lives of many of his troops along with Jammu and Kashmir Police personnel, an Army officials told ANI.

On Saturday (May 2), five army persons lost their lives during a gunbattle with terrorists that took place in a remote location in Handwara. Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rakesh Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh Singh and a rifleman and sub-inspector Shakeel Qazi of Jammu and Kashmir Police were among those who were killed during a firefight with terrorists.

Two terrorists were also killed in the operation by the security forces.