Major Somnath Sharma’s 6-Hour Stand That Saved Kashmir: The Untold Story of India’s First Param Vir Chakra
If they hadn’t fought for those six hours, the map of Kashmir might look very different today.
There are moments in history when the decision of a single person shapes the destiny of an entire nation.
Kashmir’s future also rested on one such day.
It was 1947.
India had just gained independence, and the threat to Kashmir was at its peak.
On the morning of 3 November 1947, the situation in the plains of Budgam was rapidly deteriorating. The Srinagar airport was just a short distance away from enemy forces. If the airport had fallen, Kashmir’s link with India would have been cut off, and the course of the war would have changed forever.
On this crucial route, India had no large force deployed.
There was only a small unit of the 4 Kumaon Regiment—
around 100 soldiers.
Leading them was Major Somnath Sharma.
Major Somnath Sharma was born on 31 January 1923 in Dadh village of Kangra district, Himachal Pradesh.
The army ran in his blood. His father, Major General Amarnath Sharma, was a senior officer, and his brother Lieutenant General Vishwanath Sharma later went on to become the Chief of the Indian Army.
During the Second World War, Major Sharma had already seen real combat in Burma with the 4 Kumaon Regiment under the leadership of Colonel K. S. Thimayya.
But in this battle, his identity was not defined by his rank.
His left arm was in a plaster cast.
It had been fractured while playing hockey, and doctors had strictly advised complete rest.
But he made his stand clear:
“If my soldiers are on the front line, I cannot stay in bed.”
And with a broken arm, he walked straight into the battlefield.
By noon, the attack began—
from three directions.
The enemy force numbered between 500 and 1,000. Tribal fighters were spread all across the field. The Indian soldiers were surrounded, and ammunition was running out fast.
Despite having one arm in plaster, Major Sharma kept moving from trench to trench—
sometimes giving instructions, sometimes taking charge of the firing himself.
When a machine-gun gunner was killed, Major Sharma picked up the gun himself. Using his injured arm, he continued loading magazines and passing them to his men so the firing would not stop even for a moment.
During the same battle, Sepoy Dewan Singh Danu displayed extraordinary bravery. He single-handedly killed more than 22 enemy fighters. For this, he was later awarded the Mahavir Chakra posthumously.
The battle had reached its most dangerous phase.
Then a radio message came from the Brigade Headquarters, asking whether a retreat should be ordered.
Major Somnath Sharma’s reply became one of the most immortal lines in Indian military history:
“The enemy is only 50 yards away.
We are surrounded on all sides.
There is heavy firing.
But I will not withdraw even an inch.
I will fight till the last man and the last bullet.”
Soon after, a mortar shell landed close to him. The nearby ammunition dump exploded.
The 24-year-old officer was martyred on the spot.
But the time he bought became Kashmir’s shield.
For nearly six hours, the enemy was held back.
On the Indian side, 15 to 22 soldiers were martyred, and 26 were wounded.
The enemy suffered over 200 deaths and more than 320 injuries.
Meanwhile, Indian Army reinforcements arrived.
Srinagar airport was saved.
Kashmir remained with India.
And the path was cleared for the decisive Battle of Shalateng.
Major Somnath Sharma was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously, becoming the first Indian to receive the country’s highest gallantry award.
In his memory, the Indian Postal Department also issued a commemorative postage stamp.
Today, when Kashmir stands as a part of India, the foundation of that reality includes the supreme sacrifice of that brave officer.
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