The Northeast Warrior

Havildar Hangpan Dada - Arunachal's Pride

Havildar Hangpan Dada, from the Tangsa tribe of Arunachal Pradesh, was serving in Kashmir when terrorists attacked. He killed four terrorists, saving his team, but was fatally shot. A tribal soldier from the east, fighting in the north, for all of India. The first Arunachali to receive the Ashoka Chakra.

From the Land of the Rising Sun

Arunachal Pradesh - the land where the sun first touches India. In the village of Borduria, Tirap district, near the Myanmar border, a boy grew up among the Tangsa tribe. His name was Hangpan Dada.

The Tangsa are warriors by tradition. For centuries, they have guarded the eastern Himalayas. Their young men learn to hunt in dense jungles, navigate treacherous mountain paths, and survive in conditions that would break most city-dwellers.

Hangpan joined the Indian Army in 1997, initially in the 5th Assam Regiment. He was later attached to the 35 Rashtriya Rifles for counter-insurgency operations. His comrades called him "Dada" - elder brother in Hindi - not just because of his age, but because of how he looked after the younger soldiers.

A Tribal Warrior in Kashmir

By 2016, Havildar Hangpan Dada had served 19 years. He had been deployed in some of India's most dangerous zones - the jungles of the Northeast, the mountains of Kashmir. His experience made him invaluable.

On May 26, 2016, Dada was leading a patrol in Shamsabad, Kupwara district, Kashmir. Intelligence had indicated terrorist presence in the area. The forests of Kupwara, near the Line of Control, are prime infiltration routes.

The patrol was moving through dense undergrowth when the terrorists opened fire.

The Last Stand

The initial burst killed one soldier and wounded two others. Dada immediately assessed the situation - at least four terrorists, well-positioned, with superior firepower.

Most men would have sought cover. Dada did the opposite.

He charged directly at the terrorists. In the firefight that followed, he eliminated the first two. The remaining two tried to flank his position. Dada repositioned and engaged them, killing both.

Four terrorists dead. His team saved.

But as Dada scanned for more threats, a hidden fifth terrorist opened fire. The bullet struck him in the chest. Havildar Hangpan Dada, 35 years old, father of two, was martyred in the forests of Kashmir - 3,000 kilometers from his home in Arunachal.