For a man who loved to keep snakes as pets, alacrity had to be his second name.
For a man who loved to keep snakes as pets, alacrity had to be his second name. So when the call came on an icy Thursday night on May 26, Havildar Hangpan Dada swiftly reached out for his boots and his trusty gun — terrorists were on the loose near Nawgaon (in Kashmir’s Kupwara) and had perched themselves at 12,500 ft.
Dada’s task was cut out. He had to lead his 35 Rashtriya Rifles (Assam Regiment) team, block off the escape routes, and lay an ambush for the terrorists. After a face-to-face fight as the smoke from the gunfight wafted off, Dada had shot dead two terrorists in close combat and killed another one in hand-to-hand combat before taking in a hail of bullets. His valiant act also resulted in the fourth terrorist’s death. Mission accomplished.
On India’s 70th Independence Day celebrations, Dada will be honoured with the Ashok Chakra — the highest peacetime gallantry award.
Only a few months earlier on January 2, six heavily armed terrorists had infiltrated into the high-security Pathankot airbase. For a base with high-value Air Force assets, they could have caused mayhem. It took the raw courage of bomb disposal expert Lieutenant Colonel Niranjan Kumar and Corporal Gurusewak Singh to thwart the terror plans. The warrior duo, who made the supreme sacrifice, will be conferred the Shaurya Chakra, besides nine others. On Sunday, President Pranab Mukherjee, who is also the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces, approved one Ashok Chakra, 14 Shaurya Chakras, 63 Sena Medals (gallantry), two Nao Sena Medals and two Vayu Sena Medals in recognition of such acts of rare bravery and exemplary courage.
Navy sailor Veer Singh, who retrieved two bodies under difficult circumstances from the Dornier aircraft of the force that had crashed last year off Goa, has also been chosen for the gallantry award Nao Sena Medal along with Lt. Commander Vikash Kumar Narwal.
Squadron Leader Abhishek Singh Tanwar and Squadron Leader Bhavesh Kumar Dubey have been selected for Vayu Sena Medal.
Indian Coast Guard’s Commandant Radhakrishna Rajesh Nambiraj and Kuldeep Pradhan Yantrik will receive the Tatrakshak Medal.
The President also conferred Police Medals for distinguished service to 13 personnel of the Sashastra Seema Bal, and to ten ITBP commandos for having valiantly thwarted terrorist strikes on Indian Consulates in Afghanistan.
