Moodwath Murali Nayak, a 23-year-old Indian soldier from Andhra Pradesh, was martyred in heavy shelling by Pakistan on the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir in the early hours of Friday. The incident took place around 2 am on Friday, when he was seriously injured during the firing and died during treatment. Murali Nayak's house is in 'Kalli Thanda', a tribal village in Gorantla Mandal of Sri Sathya Sai district of Andhra Pradesh. He was the only child of his parents and the whole family was dependent on him. Army officials informed his family about his martyrdom at 9 am on Friday.

Murali Nayak had joined the army as Agniveer

Moodwath Murali Nayak started serving in the Indian Army in November 2022 under the Agniveer scheme. He had completed his training in Nashik (Maharashtra) and was posted in the 851 Light Regiment of the Northern Command of the Indian Army.

Father's pain "Now we have become orphans"

Martyr Murali's father Shriram Nayak, while talking to a local news channel, said, "My son was martyred for the country. He fought for the country. We are sad that he was my only son. We were dependent on him, now our support is gone. Now we have become orphans." He said that whatever sacrifice he made was for the country and whatever decision will be taken now, it depends on the government.

The Andhra Pradesh government has provided financial assistance of Rs 5 lakh to the martyr's family. State Handloom Minister S. Savita has announced that Murali Nayak's statue will be installed in the center of Gorantla Mandal, so that his sacrifice is always remembered.

State Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu wrote on social media platform X, "My tribute to martyr Murali Nayak who sacrificed his life for the country. My deepest condolences to his family. The state government stands with his family in this difficult time."