CHITTOOR: Lance Naik B Sai Teja’s brother Mahesh said he spoke to Teja just a day before the IAF helicopter crash in Tamil Nadu’s Coonoor and planned a trip to Tirumala.
“His demise was a great loss to the family. We could meet each other only 20 days in a year and he was the one who motivated me to join the Indian Army. My brother and I discussed about my leaves to plan for the tour,” a grief-stricken Mahesh said.
The family’s wait to receive Teja’s mortal remains at their native, Eguva Regada of Kurabalakota mandal in Chittoor, continued even on Friday as the process of DNA sampling was yet to be completed.
Teja, 27, was among the 13 killed, including India’s Chief of Defence Staff General Bipin Rawat, in the chopper crash in Coonoor on Wednesday, an incident that left the entire nation in shock and mourning.
Mahesh, who is in touch with the commanding officers of Sai Teja’s unit, said the officials inquired with his family about other identification marks on the soldier’s body. The bodies are burnt beyond recognition and it is becoming a daunting task for the officials to identify them, he said.
“A team of Army officers reached the village Thursday morning and collected blood samples of my family members for DNA matching. This has to be done since the bodies of all the chopper crash victims are beyond recognition. We hope that Teja’s mortal remains reach the village by Friday night or Saturday. We have shared with the officials some of his photos that show tattoos on my brother’s body for his identification.”
Sai Teja’s wife Shyamala was still in shock as she recalled her last video chat with him and the last messages he sent to her just hours before the crash.
His parents were also inconsolable and only trying to come to terms with a death in the family. Teja’s mother Bhuvaneswari is a former MPTC and father Mohan was a farmer.
Provide Rs 1 crore to family of Lance Naik Sai Teja: Chandrababu Naidu to State govt
VIJAYAWADA: TDP national president N Chandrababu Naidu on Friday urged the State government to provide Rs 1 crore as ex gratia to the family of Lance Naik Sai Teja. Naidu said Sai Teja rose to join the personal security staff of the country’s Chief of Defence Staff within nine years of joining the Indian Army. The TDP chief wrote a letter to Chief Secretary Sameer Sarma, urging him to provide a job to one of Sai Teja’s family members. Naidu observed that Sai Teja was born in a tribal family and made the ultimate sacrifice for the country.