Naik Devraj SM

Naik Devaraj Sharma hailed from Bhulle Chak village in the Ranbir Singh Pora Tehsil of Jammu district in Jammu & Kashmir. Nk Devaraj Sharma joined the army on 21 Dec 1996 after completing his initial education. He was recruited into 18 Grenadiers Battalion of the Grenadiers Regiment, an infantry Regiment known for its intrepid soldiers and many battle honours.  After serving for a few years he got married to Ms Nirmala Devi.

Battle of Tiger Hill (Kargil War): 04/05 July 1999

During 1999, Nk Devaraj Sharma's unit 18 Grenadiers was deployed in the J & K along the LOC. 18 Grenadiers battalion, under the command of Col Kushal Thakur, was inducted into the Drass area by 3rd week of May 1999. The battalion was functioning under the command of 56 Mtn Bde, with overall operational control being exercised by 8 Mtn Div under Maj Gen Mohinder Puri. After the capture of Tololing which comprised Pt 4590, Tololing Top, South East Spur, South Spur, and Hump to its north, by 14 June 1999 the next task was to capture Pt 4875 and Tiger Hill. 192 Mountain Brigade was tasked to capture the Tiger Hill feature with 18 Grenadiers battalion and a Company of 8 Sikh battalion. 18 Grenadiers also known as the ‘Pole Star Battalion’ had already lost two officers, Lt Col R Viswanathan and Major Rajesh Singh Adhikari, when they were assigned the task to capture the Tiger Hill. The Tiger Hill complex was one of the most dominating features in the Drass sector. The Pakistani soldiers who had occupied the Tiger Hill complex in strength were bringing effective artillery on large tracts of the National Highway 1A and thus the eviction of the enemy from this feature was urgent and necessary.  

The Tiger Hill complex was divided into several smaller objectives. The peak from the southern side was called 'Top', prominent cuts on the east and west were named 'Tooth' and 'V' cut; the western spur was further divided into parts viz, India Gate, Helmet, and Rocky Knob; and the southeast side was called Tongue. The terrain was extremely rugged with gradient running up to 70-80 degrees at places closer to the objective. To completely isolate the enemy on Tiger Hill, Colonel Kaushal Thakur the 'commanding officer' of 18 Grenadiers decided to launch a multidirectional attack, with the majority of force level assaulting from unexpected directions. The attack on Tiger Hill commenced on 3 July 1999 at 2030 hours. By 0400 Hours of 5 July 1999, 18 Grenadiers and 8 Sikh were able to capture several important features of Tiger Hill and succeeded in completely isolating the enemy sitting at the Tiger Hill top. On the night of 04/05 July 1999, Nk Devaraj Sharma's Section was assigned to capture the eastern flank of Tiger Hill in the Drass sector under Hav Madan Lal as the Section Commander.

The success of the company’s forthcoming attack depended on this Section's ability to capture and hold the top position. Despite heavy obstacles, the team established a  'Fire Support Base' and, with fearless determination, attacked the summit using mountaineering equipment under precise enemy fire. At an altitude of 16,500 feet, facing severe enemy fire, Nk Devaraj Sharma and his comrades climbed and reached the summit in six hours. This daring approach from an unexpected direction, disoriented the enemy, causing them to retreat. However, during intense firing, Nk Devaraj Sharma got critically injured. He later succumbed to his injuries and was martyred. Besides Nk Devaraj Sharma, six other soldiers of 18 Grenadiers were martyred during this entire operation. The other brave hearts martyred included Hav Madan Lal, Gdr Gdr Naresh Kumar, Gdr Rattan Chand, Gdr Udhyaman Singh, Gdr YS Yadav, and Gdr Anant Ram. Nk Devaraj Sharma was awarded the "Sena Medal" posthumously for his remarkable gallantry, devotion to duty, and supreme sacrifice.