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Balaghat, Nov 20 (IANS) The last rites of Hawk Force Inspector Ashish Sharma of Madhya Pradesh, who was killed in an encounter with Maoists in Balaghat a day earlier, were performed with full state honors at his native village in Narsinghpur district on Thursday.
A tribute march was held in Balaghat for Shaheed Sharma (31), where Hawk Force personnel, including senior officers, who were part of the anti-Maoist operation, gathered to bid farewell as his mortal remains were taken to his native village.
Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, State Panchayat and Rural Development Minister Prahlad Singh Patel and several other local leaders cutting across party lines attended the funeral ceremony of Inspector Ashish Sharma.
The victim’s family members received the mortal remains of the martyr wrapped in the tricolor with full state honours.
Hundreds of villagers gathered to bid a tearful farewell to Sharma.
A joint team of Madhya Pradesh Hawk Force and Chhattisgarh Police was conducting a search and demolition operation around 7 am on Wednesday when the Maoists suddenly ambushed them.
Maoists fired indiscriminately from high places.
The security personnel immediately retaliated, leading to a fierce encounter that lasted for several hours.
Inspector Ashish Sharma was hit by several bullets during the firing.
He was taken to a hospital in nearby Dongargarh (Chhattisgarh), where doctors declared him dead.
This encounter took place in the dense forests near Kauhapani under Bortalab police station area of Rajnandgaon district of Chhattisgarh.
Sharma was a distinguished officer who had earned two gallantry medals for extraordinary courage in anti-Maoist operations.
She played a key role in the encounter in the trampled forests of Balaghat in February 2025, where three dreaded female bounty hunters were killed.
His frequent promotions reflect his excellent field record.
Expressing grief over the death of the martyred soldier, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Yadav said that the sacrifice of Hawk Force Inspector Sharma will not go in vain.
Inspector Sharma is survived by his wife and two minor children.
–IANS
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