Major Somnath Sharma was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra.
Pakistani infiltrators were only 50 yards away when Major Somnath Sharma sent his iconic last message to the Brigade Headquarters. "We are heavily outnumbered... I shall not withdraw an inch but will fight to the last man," he said. Major Somnath Sharma died for the country on this day in 1947, while fighting infiltrators in Jammu and Kashmir.
Tribute poured in on social media for Major Sharma, the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra, the highest honour for distinguished acts of valour during wartime.
Major Sharma was a part of the Fourth Batallion of the Kumaon Regiment and was posted in Badgam immediately after independence in 1947. On November 3, 1947, his battalion was under fire and was outnumbered seven to one. Before losing his life in a motor shell explosion on a pile of ammunition near him, he transmitted a message to the headquarters informing them that the infiltrators were closing in.
The official Twitter account of PRO Udhampur, Ministry of Defence, remembered Major Sharma's last words in a Twitter post.
On his death anniversary, several politicians and army officers also shared tributes remembering Major Sharma, who was posthumously awarded India's highest military decoration.
The Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ashok Gehlot, wrote on Twitter: "His unparalleled gallantry, indomitable courage & supreme sacrifice during the Battle of Badgam can never be forgotten."
"He led the brave Kumaonis in a ferocious last stand, outnumbered 7 to 1. A grateful nation awarded him with India's first Param Veer Chakra," Major Gaurav Arya wrote.
A number of posts remembering the hero have flooded Twitter.
Major Somnath Sharma was born on January 31, 1923. He became the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra in 1950.
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