Emotional scenes as son of Col Manpreet Singh salutes mortal remains of father

livemint.com:

rites of Col Manpreet Singh will take place in Mullanpur Garibdass of Mohali, Punjab. Similar heartbreaking visuals appeared of other martyrs. the mortal remains of Major Ashish Dhonchak, who was also killed in Anantnag, reached Haryana's Panipat.

Major Dhonchak had planned to shift to a new house in Panipat in October. The family had been living in a rented accommodation. The Major's mortal remains reached his Panipat home in an Army vehicle.

Scores of people turned up on Friday for both Manpreet Singh and Dhonchak. At Colonel Manpreet Singh's house in Mullanpur, there was a steady stream of mourners. The families of the Army officer were inconsolable.

His wailing mother was seen waiting at the doorsteps for her son's mortal remains. A third-generation soldier, Singh leaves behind his mother, wife, a two-year-old daughter, and a six-year-old son. Dhonchak's family includes his wife, a two-year-old daughter, and three sisters.

Three Army personnel, including the colonel and the major, and a deputy superintendent of the Jammu and Kashmir Police were killed in the gunfight with terrorists in the higher reaches of the Kokorenag area in the valley. Singh, the commanding officer of 19 Rashtriya Rifles, Dhonchak, and Deputy Superintendent of Police Humayun Bhat were critically injured in the gunfight that ensued in the Garol area of Anantnag district in the morning hours of Wednesday. The officers succumbed to injuries during treatment.