Major Braj Kishore Sharma KC

Major Braj Kishore Sharma was born on 21st March 1961 in Munger district of Bihar. He completed his schooling from Sainik School located in the Tilaiya town of Koderma district in Jharkhand. At the Sainik School, his interest in the Armed Forces grew and the foundation of his military life was laid. Consequently, he got selected to join the prestigious National Defence Academy at Pune and later went to IMA Dehradun. He was commissioned on 24th Dec 1982 into the Regiment of Artillery, one of the important combat arms of the Indian Army, well known for its booming guns. Besides being a proud gunner, he was a keen sportsman too and represented his unit multiple times in long-distance running, Squash and Hockey.

After serving for a few years, Maj Braj Kishore got married to Ms. Kumkum and the couple had two daughters Sneha and Deepali. By 1997, Maj Braj Kishore had put in over ten years of service and had served in various operational areas with different terrain and challenging work conditions. He was a dedicated soldier and a fine officer who commanded the respect of his men under him as well as his peers.

Train Attack : 09 Nov 1997

During 1997, Maj Braj Kishore was serving with 168 Field Regt widely known for its stellar role in the battle of Longewala in 1971 war. The unit was deployed in Assam and was engaged in counter-insurgency operations. On 09 Nov 1997 Maj Braj Kishore was returning to his unit after leave and was traveling in a train along with his family. When the train was passing through Bihar four armed robbers barged into Maj Braj Kishore’s compartment and started looting the passengers. Sensing the danger to his family members and other co-passengers  Maj Braj Kishore swung into action and pounced on the robbers. 

Maj Braj Kishore was a valiant and tough soldier and using his military skills he succeeded in pinning down and disarming two of the robbers. Despite being unarmed Maj Braj Kishore’s daring action thwarted the plan of the robbers and brought relief to the passengers. However, in retaliatory action, one of the other accomplices maneuvered himself and shot Maj Braj Kishore in the chest. Undeterred Maj Braj Kishore continued to challenge the robbers which motivated some passengers to become belligerent. This created panic among the armed attackers who then fled by jumping out of the train. However, Maj Braj Kishore later succumbed to his injuries while being taken to the hospital. Maj Braj Kishore displayed cold courage, leadership, and gallantry of a very high order while dealing with a crisis situation posing a threat to the lives of many innocent people.

Maj Braj Kishore Sharma was given the nation’s second-highest peacetime gallantry award, “Kirti Chakra” for his valour, fighting spirit and self-sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army. He is survived by his wife Smt Kumkum Sharma, daughters Sneha Sharma & Deepali Sharma and brother Shri Kishore Sharma.