Rayagada: V Teja, an Assam Rifles jawan from Odisha, died from a gunshot wound sustained while on duty in Nagaland.
Teja’s mortal remains were transported by helicopter to Visakhapatnam and then transferred by ambulance to Rayagada on Tuesday. Teja’s body was then handed over to his family.
Coinciding with the arrival of the body, hundreds participated in a large motorcycle rally and procession to honour the martyr.
According to sources, the soldier was killed in an ambush near the India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh on 29 September. Another soldier, Havildar Jankhokai Kuki, was also killed and four others injured in the attack.
The motorcycle rally began approximately 10 kilometres from Rayagada, featuring fireworks, DJ music, and chants of “Long live the martyred soldier.”
Teja, aged 31, had joined the armed forces in 2022 and was serving in Nagaland. He was due to celebrate his birthday on 7 October and return home for Diwali ahead of his wedding in December.
Naib Subedar Ravindra Kumar Naik of the 15 Assam Rifles, responsible for escorting Teja’s mortal remains to his home in Rayagada, said, “It was my responsibility to bring the deceased’s body here and hand it over to the family immediately; however, full details will only be known after the post-mortem, which will take a week.”
He further said, “The individual, named Teja, belonged to Charlie Company, whereas I am from Alpha Company, so I have no information regarding the cause of his death. You can ask the staff members arriving on Wednesday for further details. I was assigned the duty of handing over the body at 12 PM on Tuesday, although the news of the death had been received at 10 AM.”
Earlier, Teja’s maternal uncle confirmed the family had received a message stating that Teja died in the line of duty after sustaining a gunshot wound. He added that Teja had been serving as a rifleman in Nagaland and his mortal remains would arrive in Rayagada by Tuesday evening.
Grief has enveloped Teja’s parents and family, while relatives, neighbours, and many others gathered outside his home to pay respects.
Two years ago, Teja had pledged to donate his organs. Following his death, a local hospital successfully collected and preserved his organs according to his wishes.
The district administration will pay tribute to Teja on Thursday morning, with funeral rites scheduled to commence at 7 am.
