Overcoming controversies and legal tangles, the film 'Dhurandhar', directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, was released on December 5.
This film was claimed to be based on one of India's most daring spy operations. It was said that the film's main subject was a flesh-and-blood hero, whose life's screenplay would put any thriller movie to shame. He is Major Mohit Sharma, who sat in the enemy's den and fooled them by posing as 'Iftikhar Bhatt'. According to the court's verdict, 'Dhurandhar' is not Major Mohit Sharma's story.
But who is this Major Mohit Sharma? How did he deceive the enemy by changing his identity?
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Who is this Major Mohit Sharma?
Born in Rohtak, Haryana, in 1978, Mohit was extremely brilliant from childhood. Friends called him 'Mike'. And his family members lovingly called him 'Chintu'.
He had a natural inclination towards music. He would mesmerise listeners by playing the guitar, synthesiser and mouth organ with extraordinary skill.
He first enrolled at Shri Sant Gajanan Maharaj College of Engineering in Maharashtra. But Major Sharma always had an interest in the armed forces. So that same year, leaving his engineering studies, he joined the National Defence Academy or NDA. Later, he joined the Indian Military Academy or IMA.
After graduating from IMA in 1999, he was posted to the 5 Madras Regiment. His first posting was in Hyderabad. After that, he joined the 38 Rashtriya Rifles and went to Kashmir for counter-insurgency operations. And here was written the greatest chapter of his bravery. He completely erased his own identity.
'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' Major Mohit Sharma
Iftikhar Bhatt: A perfect disguise and fooling Pakistani militants
The year 2004. Kashmir was then under the strong influence of 'Hizbul Mujahideen'. In this situation, Major Mohit Sharma began a daring operation.
Growing a beard, growing his hair and mastering the local Kashmiri language and customs, Major Mohit Sharma became 'Iftikhar Bhatt'— a radical Kashmiri youth who wanted to take revenge on the Indian Army. He 'acted' this character so perfectly that even Ranveer Singh might be defeated. The Hizbul commanders recruited him into their group. It is heard that to gain the terrorists' trust, he handed over several maps and secret information to the militants.
Needless to say, all those maps and information were actually misleading. In this way, fooling Pakistan's handlers, he would gather inside information about them.
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The Hizbul Mujahideen terrorists then had complete trust in him. One such day, seizing the opportunity, Major Mohit Sharma drew his pistol and eliminated two notorious militants named Abu Torara and Abu Sabzar, and returned unharmed.
Not only that, through this action, the army received much important information. Along with that, the force was able to eliminate several important members of the militants.
For this extraordinary bravery, he was awarded the Chief of Army Staff Commendation Card in 2002. This incident of fooling the enemy while sitting in their den is a golden chapter in the history of Indian espionage.
Kupwara and the Final Battle
After that, in June 2003, he joined an elite force like 1 Para (Special Forces).
The next incident was in March 2009. The army had received information that militants were hiding in the Hafruda forest of Kupwara district in North Kashmir. Major Mohit Sharma was then leading the Bravo Assault Team of 1 Para (Special Forces).
On March 21, that terrible encounter began. The militants hiding in the inaccessible area of the forest suddenly started firing.
During the battle, Major Sharma and his team came under heavy fire from three directions. He realized that to save his companions, someone had to move forward. Without caring for his own life, he advanced while providing cover fire. He killed two militants. But unfortunately, multiple bullets hit his chest.
Even in a critically injured state, he did not give up. Before breathing his last, he eliminated two more terrorists and ensured the safety of the rest of his team.
At just 31 years of age, Major Mohit Sharma made the supreme sacrifice for the country. For this, he was later posthumously awarded India's highest peacetime military honour, the 'Ashoka Chakra'.
Today, when controversies arise over 'Bhaag Milkha Bhaag' or any other film, we should remember— screen heroes get the chance to take 'retakes', but real-life heroes like Major Mohit Sharma stake their lives only once, and through that our country wins.
