On India's 68th Republic Day celebrated on Jan. 26, martyred soldier Hangpan Dada was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra — the country's highest gallantry honor.
His teary-eyed widow Chasen Lowang received the award from the Indian president after the grand parade in New Delhi.
Havaldar Dada, who served in the Indian Army's Assam Regiment, hailed from a remote area in the northeastern state of Arunachal Pradesh.
The Indian government has recognized him for his "valor, courageous action and self-sacrifice" that saw him fighting off four gunmen in the conflict-ridden state of Jammu & Kashmir in May last year. Dada killed three and forced the fourth to flee, in the process injuring himself fatally.
He is survived by his wife and two children.
