How Major Sharma saved Kashmir from invading Pakistanis by keeping last hope alive

Major Somnath Sharma and his company defended Badgam, a village on the outskirts of Srinagar. The position stood between the Pakistan-backed attackers and Srinagar's strategically vital airfield. Indian troops were still being flown into Kashmir, so losing the airfield could have endangered India's ability to reinforce the valley.

Sharma's roughly 100 soldiers faced around 500 heavily armed tribal fighters led by Pakistani army officers. The attackers advanced from three sides and came within 50 yards. Mortar fire surrounded the Indian position. Despite a fractured arm in a plaster cast, Sharma stayed at the front, radioed that he would not withdraw, and directed his troops to hold their ground.

The battle continued for six hours. Indian soldiers followed Sharma's orders even after a mortar shell killed him, while Indian Air Force support helped drive the attackers back. Badgam remained in Indian hands, and the immediate danger to Srinagar and its airfield was reduced. The stand also helped prevent the invaders from overrunning the Kashmir Valley at that critical moment.

The Param Vir Chakra, or PVC, is India's highest wartime military award. It recognizes exceptional bravery during war. Major Somnath Sharma became its first recipient, giving the award an immediate connection to the earliest fighting of independent India's first war over Jammu and Kashmir.

Sharma earned the honor through his stand at Badgam on November 3, 1947. His company was badly outnumbered and under devastating mortar fire. Attackers led by Pakistani army officers had come within 50 yards. Sharma was still wearing a plaster cast for a fractured arm, yet he led from the front and told Brigade Headquarters that he would fight to the last man and the last round.

A mortar shell exploded near Sharma and killed him during the battle. His soldiers continued holding the position and followed his orders. The attackers eventually retreated, Badgam stayed in Indian hands, and Srinagar's airfield remained protected. For that leadership and sacrifice, Sharma was awarded the PVC posthumously.

The forces at Badgam were sharply unequal. Major Somnath Sharma commanded about 100 Indian soldiers from the 4th Battalion of the Kumaon Regiment. They faced around 500 heavily armed Pathan tribal fighters, a force approximately five times larger.

The attackers also had important advantages. They were trained, equipped, and led by Pakistani army officers. They attacked from three sides, used heavy fire, and moved within 50 yards of the Indian position. Mortar shells exploded around Sharma's company. Even so, the defenders held their ground rather than withdrawing, despite being outgunned and surrounded by intense fire.

The fighting continued for six hours. Indian Air Force support helped Sharma's soldiers beat back the attackers, who went into full retreat. The unequal battle therefore ended with Badgam still under Indian control. The article presents this defense as crucial because the village stood near Srinagar and its airfield, where Indian reinforcements were arriving.

Badgam was more than a battlefield position. It lay on the outskirts of Srinagar, with the city's vital airfield behind the Indian troops. Indian Army units were still being flown into Kashmir, so protecting the airfield helped preserve the flow of reinforcements against the invasion.

Major Sharma's company held the village despite being outnumbered and attacked from three sides. After six hours of fighting, the Pakistan-backed mujaheedeen retreated, helped back by the Indian Air Force. Badgam remained firmly in Indian hands. Sharma was killed by a mortar shell, but his soldiers continued following his orders and maintained the defense.

The immediate threat to Srinagar and its airfield was blunted. The article also says the stand helped stop the Pakistan-backed invaders from overrunning the Kashmir Valley at a critical moment in the 1947 war. Sharma's sacrifice became a lasting military milestone when he was named the first recipient of the Param Vir Chakra.

Jammu and Kashmir mattered to both new countries because of its position. The kingdom shared borders with India, Pakistan, and Tibet. It was also one of the large princely states left behind when British rule ended. Control of such a strategically located territory had major importance during the first India-Pakistan conflict.

Its political status made the issue urgent. Maharaja Hari Singh, a Hindu monarch ruling a Muslim-majority state, initially wanted Jammu and Kashmir to remain independent. Pakistan's army, along with tribal fighters, invaded on October 22 and advanced through Muzaffarabad toward Srinagar. The pressure made continued neutrality increasingly difficult.

Hari Singh then sought India's military assistance and signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26. Indian troops were flown into Srinagar the next morning to repel the invaders. The article connects this decision directly to India's military intervention and to the struggle over whether Kashmir would fall into Pakistan's hands or remain under Indian defense.

Princely states were territories ruled by hereditary kings, maharajas, or nawabs. They ranged from tiny estates to large kingdoms such as Jammu and Kashmir, Hyderabad, Mysore, and Travancore. In 1947, about 565 princely states covered nearly 40 percent of the subcontinent's territory and included 23 percent of its population.

British paramountcy over these states ended when British rule ended on August 15, 1947. That removed the political framework connecting the rulers to the departing British power. The rulers therefore had to decide their states' future. They could accede to India, accede to Pakistan, or, as some hoped, remain independent.

Most eventually joined one of the two new dominions, but a few remained holdouts. Jammu and Kashmir was one of them. Maharaja Hari Singh initially sought independence. The invasion by Pakistan's army and tribal fighters changed the situation, leading him to seek Indian military assistance and sign the Instrument of Accession on October 26.

The article presents the Instrument of Accession as Maharaja Hari Singh's decision to join Jammu and Kashmir to India. It changed the kingdom's political position after the Maharaja had initially tried to remain independent. The document provided the basis for India's military assistance during the invasion.

Pakistan's army and tribal fighters had entered Kashmir on October 22 and were advancing through Muzaffarabad toward Srinagar. Facing that threat, Hari Singh sought India's military help and signed the Instrument of Accession on October 26. The decision connected Kashmir to India at the critical moment when Indian troops were needed.

Indian troops were flown into Srinagar the following morning to repel the invaders. The article therefore links the accession directly with India's ability to intervene militarily. Those troops later depended on positions such as Badgam, where Major Sharma's company protected Srinagar's airfield and helped keep the invading forces from overrunning the Kashmir Valley.