07 May Captain Vikram Batra – Kargil Hero
A story of a great officer whose bravery and courage need to be in everyone’s heart. This is the story of a soldier, his journey as a lieutenant, who rose to the rank of Captain, the hero of Kargil – Capt Vikram Batra.
Vikram Batra was born on 9th September 1974 in Palampur. His parents were Giridhar Lal Batra and Kamal Lal Batra, his brother was Vishal Batra . Vikram was interested in sports, he represented his school and college in the games of table tennis and karate, he was also a green belt holder in karate. In college, he joined the Air Wing of National Cadet Corps (NCC). In 1996, he passed his examination of IMA (Indian Military Academy) in Dehradun. He graduated on 6th December 1997 and was commissioned into the 13thbattalion of Jammu and Kashmir Rifles. He worked in J&K and at that time the Kargil war had commenced. Capt Vikram Batra was given the task of capturing point 5140. This was assigned to him which was not an easy thing and also an important peak in the Dras sector. After capturing Point 5140, Capt Vikram Batra radioed his command post saying, “YEH DIL MAANGE MORE!” Eventually, Batra was appointed as a captain.
The other task given to him was to capture Point 4875. Under heavy fire Capt Vikram Batra moved forward, screaming ‘Durga Mata ki Jai’. He was severely injured with bullets, yet he continues to fight. Capt Batra then saw his colleague being injured. So to save him, he exposed himself to the enemy fires and saved the injured soldier. Unfortunately, he was hit on his head and chest. Later, he collapsed next to the injured soldier. Posthumously, Capt Vikram Batra was awarded the Param Vir Chakra, India’s highest military honor, given to a soldier. It was awarded to him on 15th August 1999. His father received the award. He was also called ‘SHERSHAH’. There is a war memorial point at Kargil, where you will find the memorial built of all the soldiers including Capt Vikram Batra who fought in Kargil war and also one of the mountain tops, named as Batra Top. Recently the government of India named an island in Andaman Nicobar as Capt Vikram Batra Island, tribute given to his bravery. Every year on 26th July we celebrate Kargil Vijay Diwas, the victory of our country. We will always remember you and other brave soldiers who have sacrificed their lives in saving our nation. Your inspiration takes us from our knees to a high point. This is a tribute to a brave officer who will be remembered forever!
S. Sri Vyshnavi Reddy
Grade-7A