BHOPAL: Inspector Ashish Sharma of the Madhya Pradesh Police’s elite anti-Naxal unit, the Hawk Force, was killed in action during an early-morning encounter with armed Naxal cadres in the dense forests near the MP–Chhattisgarh–Maharashtra tri-junction on Wednesday.

Sharma, around 40 and a decorated officer with two gallantry medals, sustained fatal bullet injuries in the thigh and abdomen while leading the Hawk Force team in a coordinated operation with Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra police. The gunfight broke out around 8.30 am after the combined forces, acting on specific intelligence, moved into a heavily forested area in Chhattisgarh territory where a large Naxal group had been sighted.

A senior MP police officer told TNIE that Sharma was rushed to the Community Health Centre in Dongargarh, Rajnandgaon district. “Despite all efforts by doctors, he succumbed to excessive bleeding,” the officer said.

An air ambulance had been arranged to shift him to a specialised facility, but he died before evacuation.

Sharma, posted in Balaghat district, was known for his valour and operational leadership. He had received an out-of-turn promotion earlier this year after spearheading a successful anti-Naxal operation that led to the elimination of three hardcore women Naxal cadres in the Raunda forests of Balaghat in February 2025.