How Many More Sacrifices.....

At a time when most fathers would have stayed beside their sick son's hospital bed, tend to his blood transfusion and ensure that the dengue died down, Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma rushed to Jamia Nagar from the hospital to raid a house where terrorists were holed up. He hadn't gone home for three days, rushing from office to hospital and back and his wife expected him to return on Friday evening finally. But home they brought the warrior dead.

Sharma (42) was undoubtedly Delhi Police's top shot terror fighter, after ACP Rajbir Singh had been murdered a few months back. But he was no gunslinger. His forte was his technical expertise and his surveillance prowess was unmatched in the force.

Winner of seven gallantry awards, including the President's gallantry medal and 150 police rewards, Sharma, who moved with extra protection, was credited with the killing of 35 terrorists and the arrest of 80 others. ''We have lost our best man,'' said Joint commissioner (special cell) Karnal Singh, his boss.

There was no big operation in the cell which could be executed without Sharma and he delivered. Some of the cases he will be remembered for include the Parliament attack, Red Fort shootout and Diwali serial blasts. Sharma was instrumental in arrest of four Jaish-e-Mohammad militants in February last year after an encounter at DDU Marg. He was also involved in an encounter which saw the death of one of the most wanted terrorists, Abu Hamza, at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in 2006 after the Diwali blasts.

On Friday morning, when he went into the L-18 house, Sharma was not wearing a bullet-proof jacket. His colleagues said he had joined the team straight from a Dwarka hospital where his younger son is battling dengue.

His two sons are studying in class VIII and IX and a friend recalled that the cop, who was in line for a promotion to ACP, wanted a change of job as he was looking forward to spending time with his family. ''He wanted to teach his children and concentrate on their careers as they were growing,'' recalled a friend.

Sharma had, in fact, sought leave to attend to his son, but then came the Delhi blasts and he was back with his hand on the holster. He was made the Investigating Officer in the case.

There was a time when Sharma and Rajbir were inseparable. Together, they struck fear in the hearts of all anti-social elements. They were looked upon as trigger-happy cops who would not refrain from shooting if criminals crossed their paths.

Like all encounter cops, Sharma's career too was not shorn of controversies. Sharma often cribbed that his onetime boss, best friend and mentor Rajbir Singh alone got all the credit for their operations, but death perhaps has restored the balance.

Sharma was often called called Delhi's encounter cop number 2, after Rajbir. But after Rajbir's marginalisation and subsequent death, Sharma was the mainstay of Delhi Police's fight against terrorism. But some say the two had fallen out. When Rajbir was transferred out of the special cell, many believed that special cell would no longer be the same, but Sharma worked overtime to prove this wrong.

Even some of his senior officers grudged the confidence he enjoyed with the chief of special cell. Sharma joined Delhi Police in 1989 and, 6 years later, got an out-of-turn promotion to become inspector. Sharma, however, came into his own after being transferred to the special cell in 1998.

--News Item Reproduced from TOI.

New Delhi, Sept. 19: Inspector Mohan Chand Sharma had rushed to Batla House straight from hospital — from the bedside of his 10-year-old son who is desperately battling dengue.

A couple of hours and a gunfight later, the 41-year-old police hero was himself being wheeled into another hospital, with three bullets in his stomach and one in the thigh. Some sources said he took a fifth bullet in his right arm.

By 6.45pm, the winner of 75-odd encounters, 150 medals and seven gallantry awards had lost his final battle: he was operated on and put on life support but had haemorrhaged too much blood, doctors said.

His son too lay critically ill this evening, officers said.

“He is our pride; he died a hero’s death,” Sharma’s uncle said. “For him, the police force was his family; it always came first. He gave up his life for the force, I’m sure that was what he wanted.”

“It is officers like your husband who make us all feel confident that our security is in safe hands,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh wrote to Sharma’s wife. “Your husband’s passing away is a great loss for our country and society.”

Sharma’s battle-hardened seniors choked back tears as they waited at the Holy Family Hospital to receive their slain colleague’s body and take it to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences for the post-mortem.

“We have lost our best man,” joint commissioner of police (special cell) Karnail Singh said. “His father asked me how his son had died, where he was hit. I just couldn’t answer him.”

Sharma’s father and sister Heeradevi couldn’t speak a word.

Sharma, who was without a bullet-proof vest, had led his special cell team from the front, being the first to approach the house where the alleged militants were holed up.

Assistant commissioner Sanjeev Yadav, who had led Sharma during an inter-state operation in Jammu and Kashmir, was by his side during today’s encounter too.

“I have lost a friend. He took the initiative and went in first; Balwant (the head constable who was shot but is recovering) was close behind him. I couldn’t save him and this will haunt me all my life,” Yadav said.

Sharma had joined the force as a sub-inspector in 1989 and soon proved himself an able lieutenant to assistant commissioner Rajbir Singh, who was gunned down earlier this year.

Sharma’s team had pursued the militants involved in the December 2001 Parliament attack. He had taken part in encounters where 35 terrorists and 40 inter-state gangsters were killed, police sources said. He helped arrest 129 gangsters and 80 militants.

The officer, who won the President’s medal this year, is survived by his wife, ailing son and eight-year-old daughter.

Jaiprakash Associates, a leading industrial group, announced it would hand Rs 11 lakh to the family as a mark of respect for Sharma’s “exemplary courage”.

Sonia Gandhi sent a condolence message saying the officer had fought valiantly and sacrificed his life in the service of the country.

He was an “exceptionally brave officer who has been an inspiration to the security forces”, Manmohan Singh said.

--News Reproduced from The Telegraph.

There is no value of life in India...How many great patriots are giving up their life .
If only we have an effective and ruthless policy against terrorist and traitors,these big losses could be averted to a certain extend....