Hangpan Dada

Havildar Hangpan Dada, AC (2 October 1979 – 26 May 2016) was a soldier in the Assam Regiment of the Indian Army. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra, India's highest peacetime military decoration in August 2016.

Early life Dada was born in Borduria village, Tirap district, Arunachal Pradesh, India. During his childhood he saved his friend from drowning in a river.

Military service Dada joined the 3 Para (SF) on 28 October 1997. In 2005, he was transferred to the Assam Regimental Centre, and on 24 January 2008, he joined the 4th battalion, Assam Regiment.

Memorial To remember his service, the Assam Regimental Centre (ARC) named its main office block in its headquarters after Hangpan Dada. The place was inaugurated by Dada's wife. Pema Khandu, the then chief minister of Arunachal Pradesh renamed the annual football and volleyball (men and women) tournaments for Chief Minister's Trophy as Hangpan Dada Memorial Trophy.

A bridge over Subansiri River at Daporijo in Upper Subansiri district has been named after Hangpan Dada. On 20 April 2020, the Chief Minister of Arunachal Pradesh, Pema Khandu, inaugurated the bridge through video conferencing.

On 27 April 2017, a stand in Eden Gardens, Kolkata was named after Havildar Hangpan Dada as a tribute by the people of West Bengal.

Awards