July 7, 1999, was the day Captain Vikram Batra (PVC), laid down his life in the service of his country.
The towering peaks of the Himalayan Mountains have challenged man’s ability to survive in extreme conditions for centuries.
Waging war at high altitude has proven to be a more daunting task. The high altitude environment has posed the same unique challenges to soldiers throughout history, from Alexander the Great’s Himalayan expedition in the fourth century B.C. to the Indo-Pakistan Kargil Conflict in 1999.
This was the war in which Captain Batra fought with great distinction, ultimately making the ultimate sacrifice for his country, and in doing so, being posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra - The Indian Armed Forces' highest award for gallantry.
Early life
Batra was born on 9 September 1974, in a small town in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh. He was the third child of Girdhari Lal Batra, a government school principal, and Kamal Kanta Batra, a school teacher. He was the eldest of twin sons, and was born fourteen minutes before his brother, named Vishal.
In 1996, he passed the CDS examination and subsequently received a call for an interview at the Services Selection Board (SSB) at Allahabad and was selected. He was among the top 35 candidates in the Order of Merit. After completing a year (session 1995—96) towards the degree of MA in English, he left the University to join the Indian Military Academy.
After completing his 19-month training course, he graduated from the IMA on 6 December 1997 and was commissioned as a lieutenant into the Indian Army. He was commissioned into the 13th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK Rif).
Kargil - Operation Vijay
In the summer of 1999, Pakistan and India engaged in high altitude combat in Kargil, a region in the disputed state of Kashmir. Pakistani forces occupied peaks in Indian-held territory, dominating the lone road that connected India to the remote reaches of the Kashmir state.
The Indian Army faced the formidable task of defeating an enemy entrenched atop commanding heights. A campaign that lasted seventy-four days and cost each side more than a thousand casualties concluded with India in control of the peaks around Kargil.
The high altitude environment determined the nature of the conflict and shaped the conduct of the campaign.
The combination of thin air, cold weather and rugged mountains has dramatic effects on men and their equipment.
Reduced oxygen leads to a variety of physiological changes and illnesses, some of which can prove fatal. Low air pressure alters the accuracy and range of both weaponry and aircraft. Cold weather incapacitates soldiers and degrades equipment.
Point 5140
On June 1, 1999, Captain Batra's unit, 13 JAK RiF, proceeded to the Kargil Sector on the eruption of a war-like situation in Kargil, Drass and Batalik sub-sectors from where he was sent along with his company on the first strategic and daring operation to recapture the first peak of utmost importance - Point 5140, which was at an altitude of 17,000 feet.
Upon reaching Point 5140, leading a company of troops, he encountered the commander of the Pakistani-backed terrorists on radio. The enemy commander challenged him by saying, "Why have you come Shershah (Vikram's nick name given by his commanding officer), you will not go back."
Captain Batra, being the last person to back away from a fight, replied, "We shall see within one hour, who remains on the top."
Yeh dil maange more!
Batra decided to approach the hill from the rear, aiming to surprise the enemy,and to cut off their withdrawal route.
Batra fired three rockets towards the bunkers on the east side of the feature, before attacking them. He and his men ascended the sheer rock-cliff, but as the group neared the top, the enemy pinned them on the face of the bare cliff with machine gun fire.
Batra, along with five of his men, climbed up and after reaching the top, hurled two grenades at the machine gun post. Batra then killed three enemy soldiers single-handedly in close combat. He was seriously injured in the process, but insisted on regrouping his men to continue with the mission.
He continued to lead his troops, and then charged at the next enemy position, capturing Point 5140. In all its actions, his company killed at least eight Pakistani intruders and recovered a heavy anti-aircraft machine gun. The remaining enemy soldiers fled.
At 0435 hours, Batra radioed his command post, saying the words "Yeh dil mange more!"
The capture of Point 5140 set in motion a string of successes, such as the captures of Point 5100, Point 4700, Junction Peak and the Three Pimple Complex.
After the capture of Point 5140, Batra was promoted to the rank of captain. General Ved Prakash Malik, the then Chief of Army Staff, called to congratulate him. All across the nation, his triumph was being played out on television screens.
Point 4875
Captain Batra He volunteered himself for a third crucial operation, recapturing Point 4875 which was at an altitude of 17,000 feet and had a gradient of 80 degrees.
He attacked the peak along with his company and another led by Captain Anuj Nayyar, MVC. They gave the enemy a tough time, killed a number of enemy troops and re-captured the peak on July 5, 1999.
The enemy counter attacked the peak on July 7 1999, but he retaliated the counter attack with vigour.
In the heat of the battle, one of his junior officers (Lieutenant Naveen) was seriously injured and he immediately went to his rescue. While dragging Lieutenant Naveen back under cover, he pleaded to Captain Batra to let him continue the fight despite his injuries to which Captain Batra replied, "Tu baal bachedaar hai! Hatt jaa peeche." (You have kids and a wife to look after! Get back).
Batra exposed himself to enemy fire to drag the injured soldier to safety, and in the process was shot in the chest by an enemy sniper from very close range, and a split-second later, by a splinter from an RPG which hit him in the head.
Batra collapsed next to the injured soldier, succumbing to the fatal wounds.
Ultimate sacrifice and Param Vir Chakra
The Param Vir Chakra (PVC) is India's highest military decoration, awarded for displaying distinguished acts of valour during wartime. Param Vir Chakra translates as the "Wheel of the Ultimate Brave", and the award is granted for "most conspicuous bravery in the presence of the enemy".
Only 21 have been awarded over the 75 years India has been an independent nation. 14 of those were awarded posthumously - including the one awarded to Captain Vikram Batra:
CITATION
CAPTAIN VIKRAM BATRA
13 JAMMU AND KASHMIR RIFLES (IC 57556)
During 'Operation Vijay', on 20 June 1999, Captain Vikram Batra, Commander Delta Company was tasked to attack Point 5140. Captain Batra with his company skirted around the feature from the East and maintaining surprise reached within assaulting distance of the enemy.
Captain Batra reorganized his column and motivated his men to physically assault the enemy positions. Leading from the front, he in a daredevil assault, pounced on the enemy and killed four of them in a hand-to hand fight.
On 7 July 1999, in another operation in the area Pt 4875, his company was tasked to clear a narrow feature with sharp cuttings on either side and heavily fortified enemy defences that covered the only approach to it. For speedy operation, Captain Batra assaulted the enemy position along a narrow ridge and engaged the enemy in a fierce hand –to-hand fight and killed five enemy soldiers at point blank range.
Despite sustaining grave injuries, he crawled towards the enemy and hurled grenades clearing the position with utter disregard to his personal safety, leading from the front, he rallied his men and pressed on the attack and achieved a near impossible military task in the face of heavy enemy fire.
The officer, however, succumbed to his injuries. Inspired by his daredevil act, his troops fell upon the enemy with vengeance, annihilated them and captured Point 4875.
Captain Vikram Batra, thus, 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.
— Gazette of India Notification: No. 16 – Press/2000
