- By Ajeet Kumar
- Fri, 09 May 2025 04:15 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Indian Army soldier Murali Naik, a 27-year-old from Kalli Thanda village in Sri Sathya Sai district, died during Pakistani firing along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir on Thursday night. According to a report by The Hindu, Murali, from a poor tribal farming family, was the only son of Ram Naik and Jyothi Bai, who work as farm labourers. He was serving on the tense LoC when Pakistan violated the ceasefire with heavy shelling after India's 'Operation Sindoor'. The young, unmarried soldier was badly injured and passed away despite attempts to airlift him to New Delhi.
Despair spread through Kalli Thanda and nearby villages as news of Murali's death reached the district. People from across the area visited the grieving family to offer comfort.
His sacrifice will forever be etched in our memories: Andhra CM
Meanwhile, political leaders poured tribute to the soldier who gave supreme sacrifice to the nation. "We pay heartfelt tribute to this valiant martyr, Murali Naik. Our thoughts and deepest condolences go out to his grieving family during this time of immense loss. His sacrifice will forever be etched in our memories with profound gratitude and honour, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu conveyed his heartfelt condolences via a post on X.
దేశ రక్షణలో శ్రీ సత్యసాయి జిల్లా, పెనుకొండ శాసనసభ నియోజకవర్గం, గోరంట్ల మండలానికి చెందిన మురళి నాయక్ అనే సైనికుడు ప్రాణాలు కోల్పోవడం విషాదకరం. దేశం కోసం ప్రాణాలర్పించిన అమరవీరుడు మురళి నాయక్ కు నివాళులు. ఆయన కుటుంబ సభ్యులకు ప్రగాఢ సానుభూతిని తెలియజేస్తున్నాను. pic.twitter.com/QGtIAxMjug
— N Chandrababu Naidu (@ncbn) May 9, 2025
"Deeply pained by the martyrdom of our brave Telugu Jawan, Murali Nayak, from Penukonda, Satyasai district, in the India-Pakistan battlefield in J&K. His supreme sacrifice for the nation will forever inspire us. My heartfelt condolences to his family. We stand with them in this hour of grief," wrote former Andhra Pradesh CM YS Jagan Mohan Reddy on the social media platform, X.
Murali's death came a day after Dinesh Kumar Sharma, a soldier from Haryana, waskilled in the cross-border firing in Jammu's Poonch.
India-Pakistan tensions
Ties between India and Pakistan plummeted following the Pahalgam terror attack. The Indian armed forces, early Wednesday, carried out precise missile strikes on nine terror targets in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Pakistan under ‘Operation Sindoor' in a strong response to the terror attack in Pahalgam.
India foils Pakistan's missile and drone attacks
India last night neutralised Pakistan military's attempt to hit military stations in Jammu, Pathankot, Udhampur and some other locations with missiles and drones. After the Pakistani attempts were foiled last night, the defence ministry said India remains "fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people." Indian military officials said the Pakistani drones and missiles were effectively engaged by Indian armed forces, and the attempts by the enemy were thwarted.
(With inputs from agency)