India is remembering today Indian Army’s Kargil War Hero Captain Batra on the 21st death anniversary. Batra, the braveheart sacrificed his life for India while battling against Pakistani intruders. He was posthumously awarded the Paramveer Chakra, India’s highest military award.
Captain Batra set forth for the military service on December 6, 1997 with the 13th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir’s Rifles of Indian Army. He was posted Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh to join the troops in Dras sector during Kargil War.
On June 20, Captain Batra led his team to recapture the Peak 5140 from Pakistani troops. In that operation, he also had to engage in hand-to-hand combat with the enemy soldiers. Later, he sent out a message to inform senior officers in a codeword ‘Yeh dil maange more’, meaning that the Indian troops have gained control over Peak 5140.
Further, he was entrusted to hoist the Indian flag at Point 4875. Captain Batra with his colleagues including Lieutenant Anuj Nayyar and Lieutenant Naveen moved ahead for the mission on July 7 to recapture Point 4875, located in Mushkoh Valley.
Point 4875 is around 16,000 feet high, but Captain did not stop there. He kept moving on despite heavy firing from the enemy. The intensity of the firing kept escalating and became dangerous as enemies were firing from the machine gun.
Lt Naveen was hit by a bullet on his leg and seeing this Captain Batra ran quickly towards him to save him. Somehow while saving Lt Naveen, Captain managed to escape the bullets from the enemies but a stray splinter from a rocket-propelled grenade hit him in the head, that took his life.
The Northern Command of Indian Army tweeted, “21 Years of Kargil Mushkoh Day,when most conspicuous bravery of Captain Vikram Batra, PVC(P) & Rfn Sanjay Kumar, PVC in face of enemy facilitated capture of Pt 4875 by 13 JAK RIF; both awarded PVC,a rare & distinct first in Indian Army history.”
#21YearsofKargil#MushkohDay,when most conspicuous bravery of Capt #VikramBatra, PVC(P) & Rfn Sanjay Kumar, PVC in face of enemy facilitated capture of Pt 4875 by 13 JAK RIF; both awarded #PVC,a rare & distinct first in #IndianArmy history.@adgpi
Tribute "#IAmBack"- @MajorAkhill pic.twitter.com/w3vvyIJ73w— NorthernComd.IA (@NorthernComd_IA) July 7, 2020
Captain Batra was posthumously conferred with the Param Vir Chakra on August 15, 1999 by the then President KR Narayanan.
“Captain Vikram Batra displayed the most conspicuous personal bravery and leadership of the highest order in the face of the enemy and made the supreme sacrifice in the highest traditions of the Indian Army,” his award citation read.
