Pistol shooter Bhanwar Lal Dhaka passes away

New Delhi: Bhanwar Lal Dhaka, one of India`s most successful Rapid Fire Pistol shooters, passed away following a heart attack in Jodhpur. He was 47.

Dhaka, one of Army`s early shooting stars, had dominated the event for more than a decade at the Nationals. He won the gold medal for India in the Men`s 25m Rapid Fire Pistol Pairs event at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. Three years back he had retired from Army. Ace shooters like Vijay Kumar and Pemba Tamang learnt the skills of rapid fire from him. "We have won many medals for the country together, he was a great inspiration to me as he came up at a time when there was not much facility for shooting in India. "This is a great loss to the shooting fraternity. He will always be remembered as a great soldier, sportsperson and a human being," renowned pistol shooter, Jaspal Rana said. PTI