Rayagada: V Teja, a soldier with the Assam Rifles hailing from Odisha, lost his life due to a gunshot wound received while on duty in Nagaland.

On Tuesday, Teja’s body was airlifted to Visakhapatnam and subsequently transported by ambulance to Rayagada, where it was handed over to his grieving family.

In conjunction with the arrival of the remains, a significant motorcycle rally took place, with hundreds joining in a procession to pay tribute to the fallen soldier.

Reports indicate that Teja was killed during an ambush near the India-Myanmar border in Arunachal Pradesh on September 29. The attack also claimed the life of another soldier, Havildar Jankhokai Kuki, and left four others injured.

The motorcycle rally commenced about 10 kilometers from Rayagada and featured fireworks, DJ music, and chants of “Long live the martyred soldier.”

Teja, 31 years old, enlisted in the armed forces in 2022 and was stationed in Nagaland. He was looking forward to celebrating his birthday on October 7 and returning home for Diwali, prior to his wedding planned for December.

Naib Subedar Ravindra Kumar Naik of the 15 Assam Rifles, who escorted Teja’s body back to Rayagada, stated, “It was my responsibility to bring the deceased’s body here and hand it over to the family immediately; however, complete details will only be available after the post-mortem, which will take a week.”

He added, “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 that the family received a notification indicating Teja had died in the line of duty from a gunshot wound. He noted that Teja served as a rifleman in Nagaland and that his remains were expected to arrive in Rayagada by Tuesday evening.

Teja’s family, along with relatives, neighbors, and community members, gathered outside their home to pay their respects, enveloped in grief.

Two years prior, Teja had committed to organ donation, and following his passing, a local hospital successfully collected and preserved his organs in accordance with his wishes.

The district administration plans to honor Teja on Thursday morning, with funeral services set to begin at 7 AM.