BERHAMPUR: On what would have been his 31st birthday, Assam Rifles jawan V Teja was cremated in Rayagada on Wednesday.
Teja, a rifleman of the 15th Assam Rifles, died in Nagaland on Monday after sustaining a gunshot wound while on operational duty. He was rushed to a hospital but was declared dead by doctors. He died just two days before his birthday.
His family had been preparing for another milestone as well. Teja was scheduled to marry on December 10. Teja’s mortal remains were flown from Nagaland to Visakhapatnam and then brought to Rayagada by a special ambulance on Tuesday night.
As the vehicle approached the town, hundreds of youths and residents gathered nearly 10 km away and escorted the body in a massive motorcycle procession.
The streets of Rayagada echoed with slogans of “Shaheed V Teja Amar Rahe” and “Bharat Mata Ki Jai”, as people lined the route to pay their final respects. Ex-servicemen also joined the locals in the procession.
Collector Ashutosh Kulkarni and other officials paid floral tributes, while Teja was accorded a guard of honour before his mortal remains were consigned to the flames. Teja had joined the armed forces in 2022.