Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar Sharma: From Haryana's Fields to Martyrdom at LoC
- Editorial Team
- 4 days ago
- 3 min read
Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar Sharma, 32, laid down his life for India when Pakistan's shells tore through the Line of Control in Poonch, Jammu and Kashmir last Wednesday. The fallen soldier's body returned to his childhood home in Gulabad village, Palwal, where ministers, party workers, and his brothers-in-arms gathered to pay final respects amid the family's raw grief.
Dinesh Kumar's childhood unfolded in Gulabad's dusty lanes, where every harvest season meant all hands on deck. His father Daya Chand, who never finished school himself, was a farmer and would wake the boys before dawn, Dinesh always first to rise. "The land feeds us, we must respect it," Daya often muttered while teaching his eldest to distinguish between healthy and weak saplings. Neighbors recall Dinesh's mother standing at their doorway each evening, her faded cotton sari wrapped tightly around her thin frame, watching anxiously until all five boys returned from the fields. She had saved for months to buy Dinesh his first proper pair of shoes when he entered the village school, polishing them weekly even as they cracked from daily wear. The family's mud-brick home, expanded room by room as the family grew, buzzed with squabbles and laughter; the five brothers sleeping on adjoining charpoys during Haryana's sweltering summers, their mother fanning them late into the night.
As the eldest of five brothers, Dinesh naturally took on a leadership role in the family. His example inspired two of his younger brothers, Kapil and Hardatt, to follow in his footsteps by joining the Indian Army through the Agnipath scheme. Another brother, Vishnu, works alongside their father in the agricultural fields, continuing the family's connection to the land. The youngest brother, also named Vishnu, is pursuing his education, carrying forward the family's belief in personal growth and development.
In 2014, at the age of 21, Dinesh Kumar took the oath to serve his nation by joining the Army's 5-Field Regiment. His dedication and performance recently earned him a promotion to the rank of Lance Naik, a proud achievement that reflected his commitment to excellence in service.
He is survived by his wife Seema, an advocate who shared his vision of justice and service, albeit in a different field. Their marriage represented a union of two individuals committed to making a difference in society, he through military service and she through the legal system. Together, they built a loving home for their two young children, a son and a daughter, who were the center of Dinesh's world and the motivation behind his tireless work ethic.
Despite the demands of military life, Dinesh never lost sight of his dreams. He often spoke of providing his children with educational opportunities he never had, hoping his son and daughter would grow up to be educated professionals who would contribute meaningfully to society. He dreamed of one day seeing his daughter become a doctor and his son join the civil services, aspirations he shared during late-night calls from remote border posts.
For his own future, Dinesh had planned to serve the full term in the Army and then return to his village to modernize his family's agricultural practices. He had been learning about advanced farming techniques during his leaves, with hopes of implementing sustainable agriculture in Gulabad to inspire other farmers in the region.
"My son sacrificed his life while serving his motherland. His martyrdom will not go to waste," said Daya Chand with remarkable composure despite his grief. "My one son has been martyred, my two other sons are still serving for the nation." These words reflect the extraordinary resilience and patriotism that defines this family from Haryana.
Lance Naik Dinesh Kumar was among several soldiers killed in intense artillery and mortar shelling by the Pakistan Army targeting forward areas in Jammu and Kashmir. This aggression followed the Indian Armed Forces' "Operation Sindoor," which targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. The Poonch sector, where Dinesh was stationed, has borne the brunt of the artillery shelling, recording 13 deaths thus far.
In the small house in Gulabad, Dinesh's uniform hangs carefully preserved, his smiling photographs adorn the walls, and his children now carry the enormous responsibility of growing up without their father's physical presence but with the powerful legacy of his courage and sacrifice. His story is not just of a soldier who died in the line of duty, but of a son, brother, husband, and father whose love for his family was matched only by his devotion to his country.