Colonel Ashutosh Sharma was born on 3rd July 1975 to Shri Shambhu Dutt Pathak and Smt Sudha Sharma. He belonged to Parwana village in Bulandshahar district of Uttar Pradesh. He appeared for the Combined Defence Services (CDS) exam and got selected. Eventually, he got commissioned on 1st September 2001, into the 19 Guards of the Brigade of Guards. He was awarded the Sena Medal on 26th January 2018. In 2019 he shot a terrorist and saved the lives of his men as well as the lives of personnel of J&K Police. For this act of bravery, he was awarded the Bar to Sena Medal on 15th August 2019.
| Service Number | 3rd July 1975 |
| Place of Birth | Bulandshahar, UP |
| Rank | Colonel |
| Unit | 19 Guards/ 21 RR |
| Regiment | The Brigade of Guards |
| Award | Sena Medal and two bars |
| Date of Martyrdom | 2nd May 2020 |
In 2020, Colonel Ashutosh was serving with 21 RR battalion deployed in Jammu and Kashmir. Based on a credible intelligence report about the presence of terrorists in Wadarbala-Rajwara forests in the Kupwara district, the security forces (CRPF, J&K Police, and Army) decided to launch a joint operation on 1st May 2020. The Army troop comprised of the 21 RR unit led by him, the Commanding Officer of 21 RR. The team also included Company Commander Major Anuj Sood, Naik Rajesh Kumar, Lance Naik Dinesh Singh, and few more soldiers.
On 2nd May 2020, after the completion of the operation as the 21 RR unit was returning, the team received inputs about the presence of some more terrorists in a house in Chanjimulla village. The terrorists hiding in two houses fired at the security forces and a fierce gun battle ensued. Colonel Ashutosh and his men managed to kill two terrorists. However, during the heavy firing Lance Naik Dinesh, along with Major Anuj Sood, Lance Naik Dinesh Singh, and Naik Rajesh Kumar got severely injured and later succumbed to their wounds.
Colonel Ashutosh was again awarded the prestigious Sena Medal posthumously on 26th January 2021.
