Hawk Force Inspector Killed During Encounter With Maoists In Chhattisgarh

In a major setback to Madhya Pradesh's elite anti-Maoist unit, Hawk Force, one of its brightest and most decorated officers, Inspector Ashish Sharma, was killed during a fierce early morning encounter with armed Maoists in the dense forests near the Madhya Pradesh-Chhattisgarh-Maharashtra trijunction on Wednesday.

Inspector Sharma, around 40, a two-time gallantry medal recipient and an officer known across the force for his daring operations, sustained grievous bullet injuries in his thigh and abdomen while leading a joint team of Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police. The forces were acting on pinpoint intelligence about a large, heavily armed Maoist group operating deep inside Chhattisgarh territory.

Around 8.30 am, as the team advanced through the thick jungle cover, gunfire suddenly erupted. Inspector Sharma, at the front of the operation as always, took multiple hits while ensuring his team held position.

Critically injured, he was rushed to the Dongargarh Community Health Centre in Chhattisgarh's Rajnandgaon district. Doctors battled to save him, but the bleeding was severe.

"We had even arranged an air ambulance to shift him to a super speciality centre. But he died due to his injuries before he could be airlifted," said Special DG (Anti-Maoist Operations) Pankaj Shrivastava, confirming that there were casualties on the Maoist side as well, although exact figures would be known only after the operation concludes.

Inspector Sharma served with the Hawk Force in Balaghat district and was regarded as one of its most fearless officers. Just earlier this year, he was granted an out-of-turn promotion after spearheading an operation that neutralised three hardcore female Maoist operatives in the Raunda forests in February 2025, a mission that earned him widespread acclaim within the force.

His colleagues remember him as a committed, calm-under-fire officer who always led from the front.