A pall of gloom descended on Baghapali village in Odisha’s Bargarh district when the news of Assam Rifles jawan Nilanchala Patel’s death during patrolling in Nagaland broke out.
The incident took place on Friday night. Patel had been serving the 7th battalion of Assam Rifles and his unit was deployed in Nagaland.
Patel’s family members said they were yet to know how he died. They will get to know the details when the body will arrive on Monday morning.
Patel is survived by his mother, wife and two daughters.
Nilanchala’s elder brother Nilambara, a farmer, told The Telegraph: “He was the only earning member of our family. I haven’t told our mother yet about his demise. We haven’t got all the details regarding his death. We don’t know how he died and whether anyone else died along with him.”
Nilanchala’s wife Rajeswari has not spoken to anyone since she got the news.
Nilanchala’s friend Sushil Kumar Dharua told this newspaper: “It’s extremely painful to know that Patel died while on duty in Nagaland. The officials of the Assam Rifles informed the owner of Patel’s rented house about it. His wife used to stay in the rented house along with her two minor daughters. The owner was so shocked upon hearing the news that he fainted. When he regained consciousness, he wrongly communicated to others that the incident took place in Manipur. Earlier Nilanchala’s unit was deployed in Manipur. But the unit moved to Nagaland last year.”
Dharua added: “Patel’s body will reach Bargarh on Monday morning. From Bargarh, we will take the body in a procession to his village for cremation.”