Life ahead of the Ashok Chakra for Hangpan Dada's widow

By Mayank Singh New Delhi (India), Jan. 26 (ANI): Tears of Chasen Lowang may confuse you. On hearing her speak, "I have to be brave" with a clear tone and expression has so much to hide. But once India gets to know who she is, every Indian will rise up to watch this dignified lady and may get compelled to admire the way she is today handling the loss of her husband. Chasen is the wife of Ashok Chakra Havaldar (Hav) Hangpan Dada, who sacrificed his life on May 27, 2016, while encountering the perpetrators. He single-handedly eliminated four terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir's Naugam. Chasen has a dignified persona. One can see her struggling not to cry while interacting with the media. But the overwhelming loss and the vacuum takes over her control. Even in doing so, she doesn't lose her composure and says, "My son if joins Army, I will be happy." Havaldar Hangpan Dada belonged to the 4th Battalion of Indian Army's Assam Regiment. The country has today awarded him with Ashok Chakra but posthumously. President Pranab Mukherjee did the honour before the nation right before the Republic Day Parade at Rajpath, New Delhi. Chasen Lowang went to receive the honour with a confident gait. While talking to ANI, Chasen recalled Dada as a very brave man. "One could never see him agitated. He always had a calm composure, but when it came to work he was a completely changed man. Very focused, dedicated and fair with his work," she said. Chasen seems to be reflecting what Havaldar Dada achieved in the regimented life of the Army. He not only successfully completed training of a para commando, but also served in difficult areas with confidence. Chasen and Havaldar Dada tied the marital knot on October 28, 2005. They have two children - Roukhin Dada (10 years old) and Senwang Dada (7 years old). Havaldar Hangpan Dada is remembered as a soft spoken, god fearing soldier with resolute will and sharp skills. It was these qualities which led him to eliminate the four terrorists in the encounter. It was on May 27, 2016, the observation post sentry of his company spotted four militants moving into the mountain folds near his post. He was serving with the 35 Battallion, Rashtriya Rifles then. Havaldar Dada was to close the gaps which the terrorist were going to take to escape. One can easily understand that it was going to be a matter of life and death for terrorists as their escape routes were being choked by this brave soldier. Army brief on Havaldar Dada mentions, "While he was deploying the stops, he encountered two militants face to face. In a swift soldierly reflex, Hav Dada pulled the trigger on the ingressing militants. He instantly dropped one militant dead and grievously injured the other. The injured militant took cover behind a huge bolder while two others fled down the Nallah." Havaldar dada was a soldier personified. He was now operating against the barrage of bullets being sprayed so that they could escape. But dada went ahead into the direction of bullets. Unmindful of personal danger, fatigue and safety, he chased both the militants using exemplary professional acumen and killed them both. Having eliminated three militants, he now started trailing the fourth who was injured initially. When Dada was in the process of eliminating him, he got shot in the stomach. But even after being grievously injured, Dada was leading from the front. He instructed his team to surround the militant in order to prevent his escape. Even at this stage he went ahead with his gun. Unfortunately, he got shot in the neck area. He led from the front and gave it all to eliminate the enemies of the nation. For this act of bravery, Havaldar Hangpan Dada was awarded Ashok Chakra posthumously. His wife received this highest peace time gallantry award today. But life is much more beyond this for Chasen Lowang as she will now have to bear the responsibilities of her two children while they live in Arunachal Pradesh. Hav Hangpan Dada was born on October 2, 1979, in village Borduria, near Khonsa in Arunachal Pradesh's Tirap district. The families of other brave martyrs believe that Chasen will have to pick up from here while the society should also try to play a positive role in their life. Charulatha Acharya, the wife of great soldier Major Padmapani Acharya, Maha Vir Chakra, told ANI, "As a society, people in her state or city should make it a point to visit her and make them understand that the society is with her in all good and bad time." Major Acharya is our Kargil hero. He made the supreme sacrifice while ejecting the enemies from the Tololing Top in 1999. Jasleen Kaur, the wife of Brave Colonel GS Sarna who took on the militants head-on while commanding 29 Rashtriya Rifles, said: "She should take over the reins of her life as soon as possible, in fact right now. No time for pity as she will now be a role model to her two children." Jasleen Kaur is the wife of Brave Colonel GS Sarna who had took on the militants head-on while commanding 29 Rashtriya Rifles. Colonel Sarna was conferred the Kirti Chakra. While this loss in the life of Chasen will keep pricking her, but then there are people like Charulatha Acharya and Jasleen Kaur who stand as a positive example to stand up against this loss.(ANI)