Tears & a son's salute: Nation bids farewell to J&K martyrs

MOHALI/PANIPAT: Colonel Manpreet Singh's seven-year-old son Kabir bowed before his father's coffin in Mohali, gave a crisp salute and vowed to be a soldier. In Panipat, Major Aashish Dhonchak's family felt proud of his martyrdom.

These heart-wrenching vignettes completed the last rites of the two soldiers who were killed in the encounter with terrorists in Anantnag along with J&K DSP Humayun Bhat on Wednesday.

At Bharonjian village in Mohali's Mullanpur Garibdas, it was Colonel Manpreet's son Kabir who stood out among the sea of mourners. "I will join the Indian Army and become a soldier like my father," Kabir said. He was dressed in Army-style combat fatigues even as his two-year-old sister, cradled in the arms of her mother, looked on at the tricolour-wrapped coffin.

At the village cremation ground, chants of "Colonel Manpreet amar rahe" and "Bharat Mata ki jai" rent the air as Kabir along with his paternal uncle lit the pyre. Just then, a section of the crowd also raised slogans against Pakistan for spreading terror.

Colonel Manpreet was commanding officer of the Army's 19 Rashtriya Rifles, and Major Dhonchak was in the same unit. "He (Manpreet) was a passionate Armyman. He will live on in our hearts forever. We will ensure his native village is known by his name," schoolfriend Narinder Singh said.

Apart from senior army officers, Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit, AAP ministers, BJP leaders and police officers paid homage to the martyr.

Eyes had welled up at Binjhol village in Haryana's Panipat district too, with thousands attending Major Dhonchak's final journey. The coffin had first arrived at a new house in Panipat's TDI City where the major had planned to shift next month. From there, it was taken to his village.

Major Dhonchak is survived by his father Lal Singh (60), mother Kamla Devi, his wife Jyoti, a two-year-old daughter and three sisters. His cousin Major Vikash lit the pyre.

DC Virender Dahiya, scores of relatives, villagers, politicians were present at the cremation ground. He read out CM Manohar Lal Khattar's message of condolence. Khattar wrote that Major Dhonchak's sacrifice will forever be etched in our memories, and the nation will remain indebted to him.

(Inputs from Barinderjit Saluja in Mohali)