Puttagandlapalle(Satya Sai dist): Indian Army jawan Mudavath Murali Naik from Kalli Thanda hamlet of Puttagundlapalle village in Gorantla mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district was martyred during cross-border firing by the Pakistani forces along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu & Kashmir in the early hours of Friday. He was 25.

According to the local police in Gorantla, Murali Naik, son of Sriram Naik, hailed from a poor agricultural family of the tribal hamlet. Naik was posted along the tense LoC in Jammu & Kashmir when the Pakistan Army resorted to ceasefire violations, launching heavy artillery and mortar attacks, post India’s Operation Sindoor. The young, unmarried jawan was critically hurt and breathed his last while efforts to airlift him to New Delhi went futile.

Grief engulfed the impoverished tribal community in Kalli Thanda and surrounding hamlets, as news of Naik’s death spread across the district in the morning. Murali Naik is the only son of Sriram Naik and Jyothi Bai, both working as agricultural labourers in Gorantla mandal. Locals from all over the district rushed to Kalli Thanda to console the grief-stricken family.

The mortal remains of Murali Naik will be reaching the hamlet on Saturday morning for the final rites.

"My son died for the country. He fought for the country. What makes us sad is that I have only one son. We depended on him, and our support is gone. Now we have become orphans, my wife and I. Whatever the solution, I leave it to the country. Whatever decision it will take is up to the country," said Sriram Naik.

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