Somnath Sharma | |
|---|---|
 Major Somnath Sharma on a 2003 stamp of India | |
| Born | (1923-01-31)31 January 1923 |
| Died | 3 November 1947(1947-11-03) (aged 24) |
| Allegiance |  British India India |
| Branch |  British Indian Army Indian Army |
| Years of service | 1942–1947 |
| Rank |  Major |
| Service number | IC-521[1] |
| Unit | .svg) 4th Battalion, Kumaon Regiment |
| Battles / wars | |
| Awards | |
| Relations | General V. N. Sharma (brother) |
Somnath Sharma,PVC (31 January 1923 – 3 November 1947), was an Indian military officer and the first recipient of India's highest military decoration,Param Vir Chakra (PVC), which he was awarded posthumously.[2]
Sharma was commissioned into the 4th Battalion,19th Hyderabad Regiment, in 1942.[3] He served in Burma during theArakan Campaign inWorld War II, for which he wasmentioned in despatches. Fighting in theIndo-Pakistani War of 1947–1948, Somnath Sharma waskilled in action on 3 November 1947 while repulsing Pakistani infiltrators nearSrinagar Airport. For his gallantry and sacrifice during theBattle of Badgam, he was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
Sharma was born in aDograBrahmin family[4] on 31 January 1923 atDadh,Kangra,Punjab (present-dayHimachal Pradesh). His father, Amar Nath Sharma, was amilitary officer.[a][5] Several of his siblings serve in the military.[1][b] His younger brother,Vishwa Nath Sharma, would later become the 14thChief of the Army Staff of the Indian Army. Somnath Sharma completed his schooling atSherwood College,Nainital, before enrolling at thePrince of Wales Royal Military College inDehradun. He later studied at theRoyal Military College,Sandhurst.[citation needed] During his childhood, Somnath was influenced by the teachings ofKrishna andArjuna in theBhagavad Gita, taught to him by his grandfather.[5]
On 22 February 1942, upon his graduation from the Royal Military College, Sharma was commissioned into the 9th Battalion,19th Hyderabad Regiment, of theBritish Indian Army (later to become theIndian Army's 4th Battalion,Kumaon Regiment).[1][6] DuringWorld War II, he saw action against theJapanese inBurma during theArakan Campaign. At that time he served under the command ofColonel K. S. Thimmayya, who would later rise to the rank of general and becomeChief of the Army Staff from 1957 to 1961. Sharma wasmentioned in despatches for his actions during the fighting of the Arakan Campaign.[5] The award was gazetted in January 1946.[7]
Throughout his military career, Sharma was influenced by his uncle Captain K. D. Vasudeva's gallantry in action. Vasudeva also served with the 8th Battalion, participating in theMalayan Campaign during which he died aiding hundreds of soldiers under his command to survive from the Japanese offensive.[5]
On 27 October 1947, a contingent of troops of theIndian Army was air-lifted into Srinagar in response to the invasion by Pakistan on 22 October into theKashmir Valley(sonkmark). On 31 October, D Company of 4th Battalion ofKumaon Regiment, under the command of Sharma, was flown in toSrinagar. During this time, his left hand was in aplaster cast as a result of injuries sustained previously on thehockey field, but he insisted on being with his company incombat and was subsequently given permission to go.[1]
On 3 November, a batch of three companies was deployed to theBadgam area onpatrol duties. Their objective was to check the infiltrators moving toward Srinagar city area from the north. As there was no enemy movement, two of the three deployed companies returned to Srinagar at 2:00 pm. However, Sharma's D Company, was ordered to stay in position until 3:00 pm. At 2:35 pm, Sharma's company was fired upon from the local resident houses inBadgam but counter-fire was not ordered to avoid injuring or killing innocentcivilians. Suddenly, a triballashkar (English: militiamen) of 700 infiltrators approached the Badgam from the direction ofGulmarg. D Company was soon surrounded from three sides and sustained heavy casualties frommortar fire. Sharma realized the importance of holding onto his position as both the city of Srinagar and the airport would be vulnerable if lost. Under heavy fire, and outnumbered by aratio of seven to one, he urged his company to fight bravely, often exposing himself to the enemy fire as he ran from onepost to the other.[1]
When heavy casualties adversely affected the company's firing power, Sharma took upon himself the task of distributingammunition to his men, operatinglight machine guns. While busy fighting the infiltrators, amortar shell exploded on a pile of ammunition near him.[1] Before he succumbed to his injuries, he transmitted a message to his brigade's headquarters which read:
"The enemies are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to our last man and our last round."
By the time a relief company, from the 1st Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment, reached Badgam, the position held by Sharma's company had been overrun. However, the 200 casualties suffered by the tribal infiltrators caused them to lose theimpetus to advance. This bought time for Indian forces to fly into Srinagarairfield and block all routes of ingress to Srinagar itself.[5] During the battle, along with Sharma, onejunior commissioned officer and 20 other ranks of D company were killed in action.[1] Sharma's body was recovered three days later. Though it was disfigured beyond recognition, his body was identified by means of the leather holster of his pistol and a few pages ofBhagavad Gita in his chest pocket.[5]
On 21 June 1950, Somnath Sharma's award of theParam Vir Chakra, for his actions on 3 November 1947 in defending the Srinagar airport, wasgazetted. This was the first time the honour had been awarded since its inception.[8] Coincidentally,Savitri Khanolkar, the mother-in-law of Sharma's brother, was the designer of the Param Vir Chakra.[9][10]
The official citation reads:
On 3 November 1947, Major Somnath Sharma's company was ordered on a fighting patrol to Badgam in the Kashmir Valley . He reached his objective at first light on 3 November and took up a position south of Badgam at 11:00 hours. The enemy, estimated at about 500 attacked his company position from three sides; the company began to sustain heavy casualties. Fully realizing the gravity of the situation and the direct threat that would result to both theaerodrome and Srinagar viaHum Hom, Major Somnath Sharma urged his company to fight the enemy tenaciously. With extreme bravery he kept rushing across the open ground to his sections exposing himself to heavy and accurate fire to urge them to hold on. Keeping his nerve, he skilfully directed the fire of his sections into the ever-advancing enemy. He repeatedly exposed himself to the full fury of enemy fire and laid out cloth strips to guide our aircraft onto their targets in full view of the enemy. Realising that casualties had affected the effectiveness of his light automatics, this officer whose left hand was in plaster, personally commenced filling magazines and issuing them to the light machine gunners. A mortar shell landed right in the middle of the ammunition resulting in an explosion that killed him. Major Sharma's company held on to this position and the remnants withdrew only when almost completely surrounded. His inspiring example resulted in the enemy being delayed for six hours, thus gaining time for our reinforcements to get into position at Hum Hom to stem the tide of the enemy advance. His leadership,gallantry and tenacious defence were such that his men were inspired to fight the enemy by seven to one, six hours after this gallant officer had been killed. He has set an example of courage and qualities seldom equalled in the history of the Indian Army. His last message to the Brigade Headquarters a few moments before he was killed was, 'the enemy are only 50 yards from us. We are heavily outnumbered. We are under devastating fire. I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man and the last round.'
— Gazette Notification: 2 Pres/50, 21.6.50,[11]
In the 1980s, theShipping Corporation of India (SCI), aGovernment of India enterprise under the aegis of theMinistry of Shipping, named fifteen of theircrude oil tankers in honour of the Param Vir Chakra recipients. The crude oil tanker named MTMajor Somnath Sharma, PVC was delivered to SCI on 11 June 1984. The tanker was phased out after 25 years service.[12]
_salutes_his_brother_late_Major_Somnath_Sharma%2c_PVC.jpg)
On turning 100, Lt Gen Surindra Nath Sharma (Retd), the Engineer-in-Chief from 1979 to 1981, pays homage to all brothers in arms at the National War Memorial National War Memorial, New Delhi and also salutes his brother Late Maj Somnath Sharma, Paramvir Chakra.
Balidan Stambh, the war memorial in Jammu,Jammu and Kashmir (union territory) in 2009 paid tribute to him by inscribing his name on the pillars erected in semi circumference for the martyrs of the 1947-48 war. His name is displayed near the amar jawan jyoti (Eternal Flame) and as relief mural on the circumference wall with theParam Vir Chakra awardees who attained martyrdom inJ&K.[13]
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