Our Armed Forces have always been blessed with a number of heroes. They have always showed their act of courage and bravery and never really cared for anything except their duty. They have always been ready to lead from the front when country has been in need. Today we are going to know about such a hero who sacrificed his life for the sake of this country who was none other than Havildar Hangpan Dada.
Havildar Hangpan Dada was a soldier in the Assam Regiment of Indian Army who was awarded by Ashok Chakra, India’s highest peacetime military decoration in August 2016. Hangpan Dada was born on October 2, 1979 in Borduria village of Arunachal Pradesh. He joined 3rd Battalion of the Parachute Regiment on October 28, 1997.
Hangpan Dada was very keen to join Indian Army right from his childhood. He was extremely fit both physically and mentally. He was very brave since his childhood days. Once Hangpan Dada saved his friend from drowning in a river which shows his bravery and selflessness. Hangpan Dada was mischievous in his early days as told by his family members. He used to climb up on trees and take away all the fruits he could. He was good in sports also as he used to spend his time in playing football. Hangpan dada was a lively person and enjoyed talking to his friends. He joined Indian Army through a Recruitment Rally was organized in his village.
Jammu and Kashmir Kupwara District Incident
Havildar Hangpan Dada was posted to 35 Rashtriya Rifles in 2016. This is the year when he got a chance to be posted in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kupwara District. On 26th May 2016, one of the sepoy of his unit spotted some militants at Shamshabari Range at 0600 hours. They were four in number at Sabu post. Hangpan Dada was given the initiative to lead the team and neutralize the militants. Two teams were given the task to make the operation successful. The objective of the operation was to neutralize the enemies through the cooperation of both the teams.
One team planned to fire at the militants while the other teams which were led by Hangpan Dada, moved ahead to block their escape. Two enemies were stopped by the first team while the other two were on the way of escaping. Havildar Hangpan Dada along with his team took cover and waited for the militants to commit mistakes. Dada was about 350 meters away from his team members. As soon as he got the chance, he neutralized one militant. Dada was so energetic and brave that he used to energize the whole team. He crawled to some distance with the help of his teammate’s cover firing and took cover. It was part of his brilliant plan. He was now in a perfect position to take a shot at the enemy and how could he let that opportunity slip away.
Search Operation
The two dead militants were cleared and searched. They were equipped with highly advanced weapons and maps also. But the task was not over yet. Two teams began search operation for the remaining two terrorists. Dada kept motivating his team. Dada moved quickly and came face to face with the third terrorist and neutralized him. But then, only remained militant shot Dada in the stomach. Dada still tried to engage in the firing but taking a bullet is not easy.
Dada was such a nice person whom no one can forget. He was always ready to take part in any counter-terrorist operation. He inspired many children in his village to join the Army. Havildar Hangpan Dada was not an ordinary soldier, he was exceptional. Our country is full of such heroes, the only thing required to see them is perspective. The nation will never forget Dada and other soldiers who sacrificed their lives for the betterment of the nation.
