Chandigarh/Panipat, September 15: Thousands of mourners, including family members, officers, and villagers, came together in Panipat to bid an emotional farewell to Major Ashish Dhonchak, who valiantly fought terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir and made the ultimate sacrifice. His mortal remains were consigned to the flames with full military honors at his native village in Panipat.
The solemn procession began when the body arrived in Panipat town, later being transported to his hometown of Binjhol village in an Army vehicle. Wreath-laying ceremonies and a gun salute paid tribute to the fallen hero before the final rites commenced.
Covering a distance of about eight kilometers, the funeral procession took nearly three hours to reach Binjhol village, where mourners gathered to pay their respects.
Senior Army officials, villagers, and numerous others stood alongside the martyr’s grieving family members during the poignant ceremony.
Major Dhonchak’s family had been residing in a rented accommodation in Panipat, planning to move to a new house in October. Little did their neighbors know that he would return home draped in the tricolour flag.
As his mortal remains arrived at his Panipat residence, scores of people converged to offer their condolences, witnessing the profound grief of his family members.
Schoolchildren, holding the national flag, lined a significant stretch of the road as the funeral procession moved from his Panipat home to the village. Patriotic slogans such as “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Jab tak suraj chand rahega, Ashish tera naam rahega” resonated through the air. A multitude of women also turned up along the route to pay their respects to the fallen soldier.
“We are devastated at the loss but at the same time proud that Major Ashish made the supreme sacrifice for the nation,” expressed an elderly villager.
Major Dhonchak is survived by his wife, a two-year-old daughter, and three sisters.
Meanwhile, the mortal remains of Colonel Manpreet Singh, who also lost his life in the gunfight, arrived in his hometown of Mullanpur in the Mohali district. Funeral rites for Col. Manpreet Singh are scheduled to be conducted shortly.
Col. Manpreet Singh’s six-year-old son, dressed in military camouflage, saluted his father as his mortal remains reached their home in Mullanpur. The Army officer leaves behind a two-year-old daughter as well.
An Army officer was seen holding Col. Manpreet’s son as the family and others paid their final respects. The grieving scene included Col. Manpreet’s wife, sister, mother, and other family members.
In a tragic gunfight with terrorists in the Kokorenag area of the valley’s higher reaches, three Army personnel, including the colonel and the major, lost their lives. Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat also fell victim to the encounter in the Garol area of Anantnag district, where they were critically injured in the morning hours of Wednesday.
Despite medical treatment, the officers succumbed to their injuries, leaving behind grieving families and communities in mourning.
