Major Rishma Sarin is the wife of martyred soldier Major Mohit Sharma. She is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army and the first Woman Officer to become an Agniveer Recruiter (2023). Following her husband’s martyrdom, she became central to a public and legal conflict with his parents over the Army’s ‘Next of Kin’ (NOK) law, which prioritizes the widow. While the parents alleged they were excluded from honors (like the Ashok Chakra ceremony) and denied memorabilia, Major Rishma’s family denied the claims, stating she was mistreated by her in-laws and required psychiatric help.

Martyred soldier Major Mohit Sharma has been brought back into the public eye following the controversy surrounding ‘Dhurandhar’, which his parents mistakenly believed was based on his life. Amidst this, the complex legal and emotional battle between his wife, Major Rishma Sarin, and his parents over the Army’s ‘Next of Kin’ (NOK) recognition has surfaced.

Who is Major Rishma Sarin?

According to Bollywoodshaadis, Major Mohit Sharma’s widow, Lieutenant Colonel Rishma Sarin (then Major), is an officer in the Indian Army, serving in the Army Service Corps, the same corps as her father, Retired Colonel Mohanlal Sarin.According to TOI, Rishma has carried forward her husband’s legacy, notably becoming the first Woman Officer to serve as an Agniveer Recruiter in 2023. She and Major Mohit Sharma had two children.

Legal battle between Major Sharma’s wife and parents

Following Major Sharma’s martyrdom at the age of 31, his parents became outspoken critics of the Army’s NOK law, which grants full rights only to the martyred soldier’s widow, effectively sidelining the parents.The parents claimed they were deprived of basic rights, including exclusion from honors alleging that they were not properly invited or informed about the ceremony where their son’s Ashok Chakra was to be received. The next claim was denial of memorabilia alleging that they were denied the right to their martyred son’s clothes and shoes worn on duty. Lastly, the parents had made it clear that they were not after the money, but rather the honor of being recognized as NOK alongside the widow, demanding that the Army amend the law.Reportedly, the emotional feud escalated into a legal battle in the Supreme Court, with both families offering conflicting accounts of ill-treatment. Mohit Sharma’s parents alleged that their exclusion and mistreatment were due to their daughter-in-law, who hails from an Army background. Retired Colonel Mohanlal Sarin denied the allegations, stating that his daughter was not allowed to even take Mohit’s photographs from his in-laws’ home and was treated badly. He claimed Major Rishma had to take a month’s leave and seek psychiatric help due to the stress of dealing with her in-laws.

Legal conflict over ‘Dhurandhar’

Despite the painful conflict, the court ruled in favor of the film ‘Dhurandhar’, clarifying that its plot was not based on Major Mohit Sharma’s life, thereby bringing an end to the controversy that initially highlighted this family’s story.

About ‘Dhurandhar’

A high-octane spy action thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar, ‘Dhurandhar’ with its lengthy runtime, features an ensemble cast of Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan and Rakesh Bedi. Singh plays Hamza, an undercover Indian agent, tasked with infiltrating a powerful terrorist network operating from the Lyari underworld in Karachi, Pakistan. Set against the backdrop of historical events like the IC-814 hijacking and the 2001 Parliament attack, the film centers on the covert mission to dismantle the criminal-ISI nexus. Akshaye Khanna features as the menacing Rehman Dakait and R. Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal has garnered widespread acclaim, with the film crossing the Rs 160 crore mark globally in its opening weekend.