Aashish Dhonchak, SM

Biography

Major Aashish Dhonchak was born on 23 October 1987 in Binjhol village of Panipat district, Haryana. A meritorious student from his early years, he completed his schooling at Kendriya Vidyalaya NFL Panipat and earned a B.Tech from Swami Devi Dyal College, Barwala, in Panchkula district. He had taken admission for an M.Tech at Thapar University, Patiala, but cleared the Combined Defence Services examination and was selected for the Army. In 2012, at the age of 25, he was commissioned as a Lieutenant into 15 Sikh Light Infantry. Promoted to Major in 2018, he was later deputed to 19 Rashtriya Rifles for counter-terrorism operations in Jammu and Kashmir, having earlier served in Bathinda and Meerut. In August 2023 he was awarded the Sena Medal for gallantry. On 13 September 2023, during a joint operation with Jammu & Kashmir Police in the dense forests around Gadole village near Kokernag, Anantnag, his team came under heavy fire from cornered militants. In the ensuing fierce gunfight Major Dhonchak was critically wounded and evacuated to Srinagar, where he later succumbed. He displayed exceptional courage and laid down his life for the nation at the age of 36.