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On the morning of Thursday, 14 September, a woman got out of a car at Sector 7 in Haryana's Panipat to visit her family. As she said "Mera bhai...mera bhai... (my brother)," repeatedly while she wept, she collapsed near the gate of the three-storey house.
Relatives rushed to carry her inside the house from which wails of relatives mourning the death of her brother, Major Aashish Dhonchak (34), could be heard from across the street.
Major Dhonchak of the 19 Rashtriya Rifles (19 RR) was martyred on Tuesday in an encounter with militants in Kashmir's Anantnag, along with Colonel Manpreet Singh (41), commanding officer of the 19 RR and J&K Police Deputy SP Himayun Bhat.
Relatives arrive at the residence of Major Aashish Dhonchak in Haryana's Panipat.
(Photo accessed by The Quint)
As relatives and friends wait for his mortal remains, Major Dhonchak leaves behind a two-year-old daughter, a wife, and three doting sisters.
'He Was to Visit Home Next Month, Help Move to their New House'
Speaking to the media, his uncle Dilwar Singh said that he had visited the family just last month.
"We got a call from the Army. We knew there was an operation underway. But we got the news (of his passing) from my son who's also in the Army," Singh said.
"He had visited home a month-and-a-half ago and was to return in October as the family was to move to a new house," he added.
Relatives arrive at the residence of Major Aashish Dhonchak in Haryana's Panipat.
(Photo accessed by The Quint)
Speaking to The Quint, Major Dhonchak's batchmate form national Defence Academy (NDA), Major Sahil Aggarwal, called the martyrdom a "loss for the nation."
"We did a six-month-long course together way back in 2013-14. He was short but a very good runner. Very down to earth and punctual. He was strongly rooted to his community," Major Aggarwal said.
"A person that you have served with, rubbed shoulders with him on ground, you've fired together, ran together done various things together, been in the same course, seen each other grow – this is just sad," he added.
The neighbours, meanwhile, remembered Major Dhonchak as a "polite and hardworking man."
"His father had a fertilizers business. He studied well and became a Lieutenant. Whenever they visited the village, he would greet everybody with respect. The parents lost their only son. You can only imagine what they are going through," Narender Singh, one of the neighbours who knew Major Ashish in his younger days said.
'When Will This End?'
The operation to flush out militants in Kokernag that began on Tuesday, resumed on Thursday.
As per reports, the forces have circled two militants so far, with one being identified as a local LeT militant Uzair Khan, reports said.
Relatives at the residence of Major Aashish Dhonchak in Haryana's Panipat.
(Photo accessed by The Quint)
"They kill two of ours, we kill four of them. When will this end? This will go on. Does any politician's son ever get in trouble? It is only the poor who join the forces. There has to be a decisive resolution to these incidents," Narender Singh said.
Ramchandra, another neighbour of the Dhonchak family in Panipat said that they are proud of his sacrifice.
"He was an intelligent man. The entire village is waiting for his body. We will urge the government to build a memorial for him here. We are proud of his sacrifice for the country," he said.
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