On the eve of Independence Day 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee posthumously conferred the Ashok Chakra, India's highest peacetime gallantry award, on which of the following soldiers?

Introduction / Context:
The Ashok Chakra is India's highest peacetime gallantry award, given for the most conspicuous bravery or some act of daring or pre eminent valour or self sacrifice other than in the face of the enemy during wartime. Independence Day and Republic Day honours often include announcements of such awards, and exam questions frequently ask about specific recipients and years. In 2016, one name in particular was highlighted for a posthumous Ashok Chakra, and remembering this helps candidates connect recent military history with national honours.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The question refers to the eve of Independence Day 2016.
• It concerns a posthumous award of the Ashok Chakra.
• The options list Havildar Hangpan Dada, Neeraj Kumar Singh, Lt. Col. Niranjan Ek, and Lt. Navdeep Singh.
• We assume that standard current affairs records detail which soldier was honoured in that specific year.

Concept / Approach:
Havildar Hangpan Dada of the Assam Regiment and Rashtriya Rifles was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra for his exceptional bravery in an anti terrorist operation in Jammu and Kashmir. The award was announced around Independence Day 2016 and widely reported in news media. Neeraj Kumar Singh, Lt. Col. Niranjan Ek, and Lt. Navdeep Singh are also connected to gallantry awards and security operations but correspond to different years and honours. The approach is to recall the specific association between Independence Day 2016 and the Ashok Chakra award to Havildar Hangpan Dada and then match his name with the options.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Focus on the key clue that the award is the Ashok Chakra and that it was announced on the eve of Independence Day 2016. Step 2: Recall that Havildar Hangpan Dada, a soldier of the Assam Regiment serving with Rashtriya Rifles, was recognised posthumously for his bravery against terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir. Step 3: Confirm that his name is strongly associated with the Ashok Chakra in that year in current affairs reports and government citations. Step 4: Compare this with the options, where his name appears alongside other decorated soldiers from different years. Step 5: Conclude that Havildar Hangpan Dada is the correct answer for the Ashok Chakra awarded on the eve of Independence Day 2016.

Verification / Alternative check:
Verification can be done by checking government press releases or national news coverage from August 2016, which report the Ashok Chakra award to Havildar Hangpan Dada. Articles and citations describe his actions in detail and clearly mention the year and the Independence Day context. Cross referencing with lists of Ashok Chakra recipients further confirms that he was the recipient for that period, while the other names correspond to different years or other gallantry awards like Ashok Chakra in earlier years or Kirti Chakra.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Neeraj Kumar Singh: While he is also a decorated soldier and appears in lists of gallantry awardees, he is not the one honoured with the Ashok Chakra on the eve of Independence Day 2016.
Lt. Col. Niranjan Ek: He is associated with other operations and honours, but his name does not match the specific 2016 Ashok Chakra announcement mentioned in this question.
Lt. Navdeep Singh: He was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra earlier for bravery in an operation in Jammu and Kashmir, but that was in a different year, not the 2016 Independence Day honours.

Common Pitfalls:
A common pitfall arises because several gallantry awardees and operations in Jammu and Kashmir are discussed together in exam material, which can blur timelines. Students sometimes recall that Lt. Navdeep Singh received the Ashok Chakra and mistakenly connect his name with the 2016 question. To avoid such confusion, it is important to link Havildar Hangpan Dada specifically with the Independence Day 2016 Ashok Chakra award and to remember that other soldiers received similar honours in different years.

Final Answer:
On the eve of Independence Day 2016, the Ashok Chakra was posthumously conferred on Havildar Hangpan Dada for his exceptional bravery.