Rifleman V Teja of the 15 Assam Rifles, from Odisha’s Rayagada district, died after sustaining a gunshot wound while on operational duty in Nagaland. He was due to turn 31 on 7 October and was to be married on 10 December. In keeping with a pledge he had signed about two years earlier, his organs were retrieved and preserved at a hospital in Nagaland.
Rifleman Teja, of Charlie Company, 15 Assam Rifles, was hit by a bullet during operational duties in Nagaland on Monday, 5 October 2026. He was rushed to hospital and declared brought dead, officials told news agencies. The precise circumstances of the injury have not been made public.
Naib Subedar Ravindra Kumar Naik of the same battalion, who escorted the mortal remains, said full details would be known only after the post-mortem, expected to take about a week. The family was informed that he had died in the line of duty after a gunshot wound.
Teja had joined the armed forces in 2022 and was serving in Nagaland. He had been granted 50 days’ leave and was expected home for Diwali ahead of his wedding on 10 December. He would have turned 31 on 7 October, the day his body reached Rayagada.
According to his family, including his younger brother, Teja had signed an organ-donation declaration about two years ago. After his death, a local hospital in Nagaland collected and preserved his organs in accordance with that wish. Reports have not named the organs retrieved or the recipients.
The mortal remains were flown by helicopter to Visakhapatnam and taken by ambulance to Rayagada. Hundreds of residents joined a motorcycle rally that began about 10 kilometres from the town, with fireworks and chants in his honour. Relatives and neighbours gathered outside the family home. The district administration is to pay official tribute on Thursday morning, with funeral rites scheduled to begin at 7 am.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi said he was deeply grieved by the death of Rifleman V Teja of the 15 Assam Rifles while on duty in Nagaland, and that his supreme sacrifice and dedication in the service of the motherland would remain etched in memory. He conveyed condolences to the family and prayed for the peace of his soul.
Leader of the Opposition and former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said the bravery displayed by the Odia soldier was immeasurable, and that he had made an unparalleled sacrifice during security operations in Nagaland. He said Teja’s courage filled every Odia and the nation with pride, and that he would remain immortal.
