Pall of gloom descends on Andhra village awaiting soldier’s body

Srikakulam: A pall of gloom has descended on Vallabharaidupeta village of Nandigam Mandal in Srikakulam district following the death of Havildar S Jagadeshwar Rao recently in Jammu and Kashmir in the line of duty, a family member said on Tuesday.

G Tirumala Rao, brother-in-law of Jagadeshwar Rao, 40, said the army havildar died in a gunfight with militants on Monday morning around 8.30 am at Kupwara in Jammu and Kashmir.

He said Jagadeshwar Rao was on patrol duty when the lethal terrorist attack took place. His family members came to know of his death around 10.30 am on Monday through a phone call from the Army.

“An Army commandant called his (Jagadeshwar Rao) wife and informed her about the incident. The entire village has assembled at the late soldier’s house now and are waiting for his body to arrive,” Tirumala Rao told PTI.

The family members received a mail from the Army which said that the mortal remains of the soldier will arrive around 10.15 pm today at Visakhapatnam airport.

"My brother-in-law was a bold person and an encounter specialist. We never expected that something like this would happen. We are worried about his minor daughters,” Tirumala Rao said.

He expressed a bit of dissatisfaction that there is no recognition of the sacrifice made by Jagadeshwar Rao for the country, even in nearby localities, and lamented that media houses are ignoring his contribution.

According to Tirumala Rao, the soldier last came home about a month ago. He is survived by his wife, two minor daughters, father and mother.

Jagadeshwar Rao’s wife, S Samatha, works as a constable in nearby Dimmilada village in Nandigam mandal of Srikakulam.

Jagadeshwar Rao joined the Army in 2003 and was a part of the 11 Rashtriya Rifles.

His elder brother S Vigneshwar Rao, 45, is also in the Army and is posted in Jammu and Kashmir as well.

Inputs from PTI