Earlier, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar paid his respects to Col. Mahadik at Aare village, his birthplace. Members of the Maharashtra Cabinet, MPs and legislators were present. On Wednesday evening, the body, flown in an IAF aircraft to Pune, was brought to the National War Memorial for the wreath-laying ceremony.

Through the day, a sea of humanity surged into the cramped Pogarwadi primary school. Soldiers accompanied the casket, wrapped in the National Flag, as the body was brought to the village. He was given a 21-gun salute and cremated with full military honours.

He leaves behind his wife, Swati, 11-year-old daughter Kartiki, and five-year-old son Swaraj. “He was fearless, but of a kindly disposition. He had big plans for developing his village and wanted to instil the spirit of self-sacrifice in the youths of the area by urging them to join the Army,” recalled his brother Jaivant Ghorpade, a milkman.

He recounted how their father, Madhukar, a poor milkman, by dint of hard work, sent Santosh to the Sainik School Col. Mahadik, a champion pugilist who rose to become an officer of the elite 21 Para-Special Forces unit, was awarded the Sena Medal for his exceptional gallantry and leadership as a young officer, battling terrorists in the Lolab Valley of Jammu and Kashmir in 2003.