Vikram Batra

Captain Vikram Batra, PVC (9

September 1974 – 7 July 1999) was an
officer of the Indian Army,
posthumously awarded with the
Param Vir Chakra, India's highest and
most prestigious award for valour,
for his actions during the 1999 Kargil
War in Kashmir between India and
Pakistan. He led one of the toughest
operations in mountain warfare in
Indian history. He was often referred
to as ‘'Sher Shah'’ ("Lion King") in the
intercepted messages of the
Pakistan Army.
 Captain

Vikram Batra
Param Vir Chakra

Nickname(s) Luv, Vicky, Sher

Shah

Born 9 September 1974

Palampur, Himachal
Pradesh, India

Died 7 July 1999 (aged 24)

Kargil, Jammu &
Kashmir, India
Allegiance Republic of India

Service/branch Indian Army

Years of service 1997–1999

Rank Captain

Service number IC-57556

Unit 13 JAK RIF

Battles/wars Kargil War

Operation Vijay
Battle of Point 5140
Battle of Point 4875

Awards Param Vir

Chakra

Early life and education

Batra was born on 9 September 1974,
in a small town in Palampur,
Himachal Pradesh, India. He was the
third child of Girdhari Lal Batra, a
government school principal, and
Kamal Kanta Batra, a school
teacher.[1] He was the elder of twin
sons, and was born fourteen minutes
before his brother, named Vishal. The
twins were nicknamed: 'Luv'
(Vikram) and 'Kush' (Vishal), after the
twin sons of Lord Rama, by their
mother as she was a staunch
believer in Lord Rama.[1] He had two
sisters: Seema and Nutan (also called
Neetu).[2] He got his primary
education from his mother, who
herself was a teacher.[3][4] He then
attended the D.A.V. Public School in
Palampur, where he studied up to
middle standard.[3] He received his
senior secondary education at
Central School, Palampur.[3][4]

Besides being brilliant at studies,

Batra was a keen sportsman and
represented his school at the
national level during the Youth
Parliamentary competitions at Delhi.
He excelled at many sports and
represented his school and college in
table tennis, Karate and other such
games. However, it was in the table
tennis where he truly excelled. In
1990, he and his twin brother
represented their school in table
tennis at All India KVS
Nationals.[5][4][6][7] He also was a
green belt holder in Karate and went
on to attend a national level camp in
Manali.[8]

After completing his Class XII board

examinations in 1992 from Central
School with high marks (82 percent),
he attended DAV College, Chandigarh
in B.Sc Medical Sciences.[4][8] At
college, he joined the Air Wing of the
National Cadet Corps (NCC) while he
was in the first year.[9] During the
Inter-State NCC Camp, he was
adjudged the best NCC Air Wing
cadet of Punjab Directorate in North
Zone.[10][11] He was selected and
underwent a 40-day paratrooping
training with his NCC Air Wing unit at
Pinjore Airfield and Flying Club, about
35 kilometres away from
Chandigarh.[4][12] During the next two
years in DAV, he remained a cadet of
the Army Wing of NCC.[9] In addition,
he was the president of the Youth
Service Club of his college.[9]
He afterward qualified for the 'C'
certificate in the NCC and attained
the rank of Senior Under Officer in his
NCC unit.[11] Subsequently, in 1994, he
was selected and took part in the
Republic Day parade as a NCC cadet,
and when he came back home, he
told his parents that he wanted to
join the Army.[7][13] His maternal
grandfather was also a soldier in the
Indian Army.[7] In 1995, while still in
college, he was selected for the
merchant navy at a shipping
company headquartered in Hong
Kong, but ultimately he changed his
mind, telling his mother that "Money
is not everything in life; I have to do
something bigger in life, something
great, something extraordinary,
which may bring fame to my
country."[4][7][14] That same year he
completed his bachelor's degree,
graduating from the DAV College in
Chandigarh.[15]

Following completion of his

bachelor's degree in 1995, he enrolled
at Panjab University in Chandigarh,
where he took admission in MA
English course, so that he could
prepare for the "Combined Defence
Services" (CDS) Examination.[9][10][16]
He attended evening classes at the
University and worked part-time in
the morning as a branch manager of
a travelling agency in
Chandigarh.[9][11] "I do not want to be a
burden on you, dad," he had told his
father.[9]

In 1996, he passed the CDS

examination and subsequently
received a call for interview at the
Services Selection Board (SSB) at
Allahabad and got selected.[17] He
was among the top 35 candidates in
the Order of Merit.[17] After
completing a year (session 1995—96)
toward the degree of MA in English,
he left the University to join the
Indian Military Academy.[15][18]

In the words of his father,

Vikram had found his purpose in

life. He had found the way to a
righteous path that would lead
him to his goal — to a service
that was extraordinarily high
and supreme.[17]

Military career
Indian Military Academy

Batra joined the Indian Military

Academy (IMA) at Dehradun in June
1996 in the Manekshaw Battalion.[19]
After completing his 19-month
training course, he passed out from
the IMA on 6 December 1997 and was
commissioned as a lieutenant into
the 13th battalion, Jammu and
Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK RIF).[20] After
commissioning, he was sent to the
regimental centre in Jabalpur,
Madhya Pradesh for further training.
The training lasted one month, from
December 1997 to the end of January
1998.[21]

On completion of this training he was

posted to Sopore, Baramulla district,
Jammu and Kashmir, an area with
significant militant activity.[21] In mid-
March 1998, he was sent to the
Infantry School at Mhow, Madhya
Pradesh, for the Young Officer's
Course. This training lasted five
months until September 1998.
Following completion of the course
and being awarded alpha grading, he
rejoined his battalion in Sopore in
October 1998.[4][21]

During his posting in Sopore, Batra

had several encounters with
militants. In one of those encounters
when Batra was leading an ambush
with his platoon into an area of dense
forest, he had a miraculous escape
when a bullet fired by a militant
grazed his shoulder and struck one
of Batra's men behind him, killing the
soldier. Batra proceeded to order his
men to nab the militants, and by
morning all of the militants were
killed.[22][23] Batra, however, was
saddened, because he knew that the
bullet was meant for him. "Didi, it was
meant for me and I lost my man," he
had told his elder sister over the
phone.[24]

In January 1999, Batra was sent to

attend the Commando Course at
Belgaum, Karnataka where he
excelled. The course lasted for two
months and at the end of it, he was
awarded the highest grading — the
Instructor's Grade.[25]
Every time when he came home to
Palampur on leave, he would visit the
Neugal Cafe.[24] Batra last came
home on leave from the army in 1999,
during the Holi festival for a few
days. During that time, when he went
to the café for a coffee, he met his
best friend and later on fiancee
Dimple Cheema who told him to be
careful in the war, to which Batra
replied:

I'll either come back after

raising the Indian flag in victory
 or return wrapped in it. But I'll
come for sure.[26][24][27]

The town of Dras, the second coldest inhabited

place in the world after Siberia, where
temperatures fall as low as –60 degrees
Celsius in winter.[28][29]

After his leave, he returned to join his

battalion in Sopore.[24] 13 JAK RIF,
after completing its counter-
insurgency tenure in Kashmir under
192 Mountain Brigade of 8 Mountain
Division, received orders to proceed
to Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh. The
battalion's advance party under Maj.
Yogesh Kumar Joshi had reached its
destination, when on 5 June, because
of the outbreak of the Kargil War, its
deployment orders were changed
and the battalion received orders to
move to Dras, Jammu and
Kashmir.[30][31]

Batra informed his parents about his

movement and assured them that
they need not worry about him.[24][32]
He would call his parents at least
once in ten days.[24] The last phone
call he made was on 29 June 1999, in
which he said "Mommy, ek dum fit
hoon, fikar mat karna", ("I'm
absolutely fine. Don't you worry.")
This was the last time that Batra
spoke to his mother.[24]

Beginning his service as a lieutenant,

he rose to the rank of Captain.[24]

Kargil War

Kargil War Memorial with Tololing Ranges in

the background at Dras
13 JAK RIF reached Dras on 6 June,
was placed under the command of 56
Mountain Brigade, and was given
orders to act as reserves to the 2nd
battalion, Rajputana Rifles (2 RAJ RIF)
during their attack on Tololing
mountain.[31] The 18th battalion, The
Grenadiers (18 Grenadiers) first
attacked Tololing on 22 May, but were
unable to capture the peak.[33][34][35]
18 Grenadiers made four attempts to
capture Tololing, but could only
succeed in securing the lower slopes,
while suffering heavy
casualties.[36][37][38][39][39][40]
Eventually, 2 RAJ RIF was assigned
the mission of capturing Tololing and
they did so on 13 June 1999.[35]

After the capture of Tololing, 13 JAK

RIF marched from Dras to Tololing,
reaching their destination in 12
hours.[41] Upon reaching, A Coy, 13
JAK RIF took over Tololing and a
portion of the Hump Complex from 18
Grenadiers.[41]

Capture of Point 5140

Point 5140, about 1500 metres north
of Tololing on the same ridgeline,[42]
is at an altitude of 16,962 feet above
sea level and overlooks the Tololing
nullah.[43][44] It is the highest point on
the Tololing ridgeline and the most
formidable feature in the Dras sub-
sector.[45][46][41] Between Tololing and
Point 5140 lies the Humps Complex,
consisting of about ten high grounds
numbered I to X on the same
ridgeline about 500–700 metres
north of Point 4590, and Rocky
Knob.[31][47] After the victory at
Tololing, 18 Grenadiers proceeded to
capture Humps I-VIII of the Humps
Complex. 13 JAK RIF then took Humps
IX, X and Rocky Knob. Rocky Knob is
located at the base of Point 5140 and
is 800 metres away from Humps IX
and X.[42][43]

The task of capturing Point 5140 was

assigned to 13 JAK RIF under the
command of now Lt. Col. Yogesh
Kumar Joshi on 17 June.[48][31] After
the capture of Rocky Knob, Joshi fell
back to Tololing, and started planning
for the assault on Point 5140.[49][50] On
18 June, the battalion carried out a
detailed reconnaissance of Point
5140. It revealed that the enemy had
put in place seven sangars on the
feature; two on the top, four towards
the east and one towards the
north.[51][52] It also revealed that the
eastern approach to the feature was
comparatively easier than that from
the front, which had a near vertical
climb, dominated by the top, though it
was also more heavily defended.[51] It
was decided that the assaulting
troops must capture the top before
dawn, or else the enemy would inflict
maximum casualties on them.[51][53]

Joshi decided to attack Point 5140

with B Coy, under the command of Lt.
Sanjeev Singh Jamwal, and D Coy,
under the command of Lt. Vikram
Batra, from two sides; east and
south.[41][51] At the Hump Complex,
Jamwal and Batra were given their
orders by Joshi.[41] During the
briefing, Jamwal chose the words
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, yeah!" to be the
success signal for his company
whilst Batra chose the words "Yeh Dil
Mange More!" (This heart wants
more! — from a popular advertising
slogan of Pepsi) as his success signal
for his company.[54][41][51][55] D-Day
was set for 19 June, and H-Hour at
2030.[51][a]
Under the cover of artillery fire, the
two assault companies began
climbing Point 5140 after midnight on
20 June.[54][48] The artillery at Hump
Complex had already begun its
preparatory bombardment of Point
5140.[56] As planned, the artillery guns
would stop firing when the troops
were 200 metres short of the
objective.[53]

Once the artillery guns, including the

MBRLs and 105mm guns, had ceased
firing, the Pakistani soldiers
immediately came out of their
bunkers and put down heavy fire
with their machine guns on the
advancing Indian soldiers. At that
moment, both Jamwal and Batra,
realising the gravity of the situation,
contacted commanders at the base
via radio, asking to continue artillery
bombardment of the enemy
positions till the companies were
100 metres from their target.[53]

By 0315 hours, both B and D Coys had

reached the vicinity of Point 5140
despite the treacherous terrain.[54] B
Coy reached the top of the feature
first and assaulted from the left
flank.[54] By 0330 hours, B Coy had
captured its objective, and at 0335
hours Jamwal radioed his command
post, saying the words "Oh! Yeah,
yeah, yeah!".[51][54]

Batra decided to approach the hill

from the rear, aiming to surprise the
enemy, and to cut off their
withdrawal route.[24][57][58] Batra
fired three rockets towards the
bunkers on the east side of the
feature, before attacking them.[59] 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.[58] Batra, along with five of
his men, climbed up regardless and
after reaching the top, hurled two
grenades at the machine gun
post.[58][27] Batra then killed three
enemy soldiers single-handedly in
close combat.[58][27] He was seriously
injured in the process, but insisted on
regrouping his men to continue with
the mission.[58][27][58] He continued to
lead his troops, and then charged at
the next enemy position, capturing
Point 5140.[58] In all its actions, D Coy
killed at least eight Pakistani
intruders and recovered a heavy
anti-aircraft machine gun.[4] The
remaining enemy soldiers fled.[59]

At 0435 hours, Batra radioed his

command post, saying the words
"Yeh Dil Mange More!".[59]
Considerable quantities of arms and
ammunition were recovered from
the feature. The captured
ammunitions indicated that the
enemy's strength was about a
platoon.[59] Neither B or D Coys
suffered any casualties in the
battle.[60][61] When the news reached
brigade headquarters that Point 5140
had been captured, the brigade
commander asked Joshi about the
casualties, his reply was: "There was
not a single casualty. Not a single
soldier died in the operation."[61] 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.[62] Gen. 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.[24]

On 26 June, 13 JAK RIF was ordered

to move from Dras to Ghumri to rest,
refit, and recoup.[59][60] The battalion
then moved to the Mushkoh Valley on
30 June.[59]

Capture of Point 4875

Upon reaching the Mushkoh Valley, 13

JAK RIF was placed under the
command of 79 Mountain Brigade.[59]
The next assignment for the battalion
was to capture Point 4875, a
strategically important peak located
in the Mushkoh Valley.[59] Since the
feature dominated the National
Highway 1 completely from Dras to
Matayan, it became imperative for
the Indian Army to capture it.[59][63] A
stretch of 30–40 kilometres of the
national highway was under direct
observation of the enemy and from
the peak, Pakistani artillery
observers could easily see Indian gun
positions, army camps and troop
movement, and bring down effective
artillery fire at will.[58][27][59][64][63]
On 1 July 1999, Maj. S. Vijay Bhaskar, A
Coy commander, and Lt. Col. Joshi
conducted their preliminary
reconnaissance after climbing to a
vantage point, and formulated an
attack plan.[59] Subsequently, on 2
July, General Officer Commanding 8
Mountain Division, Maj. Gen. Mohinder
Puri and Commander 79 Mountain
Brigade, Brig. Rajesh Kumar Kakkar,
along with Joshi, gathered at 79
Mountain Brigade headquarters, to
discuss the plan.[59]

13 JAK RIF deployed to a fire support

base, located in a defiladed area,
approximately 1500 metres from
Point 4875. On 2 and 3 July, weapons
carriers from 13 JAK RIF and 28
Rashtriya Rifles dumped ammunition
and heavy weapons.[59] During the
day of 4 July, the company
commanders of A and C Coys, Maj.
S.V. Bhaskar and Maj. Gurpreet Singh,
conducted their final reconnaissance
and showed the objectives to their O
groups.[65]

At 1800 hours that same day, artillery

bombardment of the enemy
positions on Point 4875 commenced,
and continued non-stop, throughout
the whole night.[65][66] 155 mm Bofors
Howitzers, 105mm Field Guns, and
multi-barrel rocket launchers were
used in the bombardment of the
peak.[65][67] At 2030 hours, under
cover of artillery fire, A and C Coys
began climbing Point 4875.[65][68]
Batra meanwhile was lying in a
sleeping bag in a tent on the rocky
ground near the Mushkoh nullah, and
was down with fever and fatigue.
Joshi had ordered him to rest as A
and C Coys started their attack.[63][69]

Both the assault companies were

leading the offensive from the right
flank. The climbing was difficult, and
the soldiers had to take out enemy
pockets of resistance which they
encountered en route. However at
one point, a strategically located
machine gun halted the advance, and
by first light the troops were still 50
meters short of the target. Now it
was getting dangerous because in
daylight, Indian soldiers could easily
be seen by the Pakistanis. The attack
was also halted by very effective
sniper fire from Pakistani soldiers
hiding behind rocks.[68]
At 0430 hours, the two companies
began to fire at strong well-fortified
enemy positions at the top of the
feature.[65] The enemy was still
bringing down very effective small
arms and sniper fire, which
effectively blocked the advance of
the Indian troops.[65] At around 1015
hours on 5 July, Singh, C Coy
commander, spoke to Joshi and
explained his company's
predicament and the area from
where the enemy was bringing in
effective fire on to them.[65] Brig.
Kakkar was personally supervising
operations.[68] At this juncture, Joshi
personally fired two Fagot missiles
in quick succession from the fire
support base and neutralized the
enemy position.[65][70] Kakkar
watched the firing of the missiles
through his binoculars. "Bull's eye!
You've got them," he said to Joshi
over the radio.[68] The bunker
received a direct hit and enemy
soldiers were seen fleeing from it.[65]
The troops from 13 JAK RIF then
promptly began advancing
again.[65][68] Soon, two sections from
C Coy assaulted the enemy
position.[70][65] By 1300 hours, they
had captured Point 4875.[65]
Subsequently, A and C Coys linked up
and consolidated their hold on Point
4875, but they continued to receive
enemy artillery and machine gun fire
from Pimple 2 and areas north of
Point 4875.[65][71]

At 2200 hours on 5 July, from a

Pakistani position north of Point
4875, the enemy brought heavy and
accurate fire on the two companies.
In the early hours of the following
morning at 0445 hours, C Coy
reported that they were in a heavy
firefight and were running out of
ammunition. B Coy, held in reserve,
promptly brought up ammunition
and the firefight continued.[65]

The Indian victory would not have

been complete without the capture of
Area Flat Top, an adjacent peak and
part of enemy defences on Point
4875.[72][73] 13 JAK RIF had captured
Area Flat Top on the afternoon of 5
July after a fierce battle with
Pakistani forces.[72][74] However, the
enemy launched an immediate
counterattack to take back the peak.
"Young Capt. N.A. Nagappa was
holding Flat Top. He had a small force
but he fought ferociously to beat back
the offensive. The first counter-
attack was beaten back. The
Pakistanis too were facing the same
problem of climbing, with the Indian
Army on top shooting at them. It is
not that they did not have the will to
do it but the carpet-firing by our
troops did not let them come to the
top," a 79 Mountain Brigade officer
said.[75] There was a seesaw battle
taking place at Area Flat Top. All of a
sudden, a shell hit the peak, seriously
injuring Capt. Nagappa. Splinters
pierced through both his legs and he
fell unconscious.[75] Taking advantage
of this situation, the Pakistanis
started climbing faster.[75][76]
Suddenly, Batra, who was silently
observing the situation from the fire
support base, went to Joshi and
volunteered, saying the words "I'll go
up sir."[76][77] Seeing as Batra was still
unwell, Joshi did not have the heart
to let him go but Batra insisted on
it.[77]

That same day, the enemy launched a

second counterattack on Area Flat
Top and although the Indian troops
succeeded in beating it back too, they
urgently needed reinforcements.[77]
Seeing Batra's determination to save
Peak 4875 and the honour of his
battalion, several of his company's
soldiers volunteered to accompany
him even before any official orders
had been issued.[77] "Despite strict
rules, where soldiers cannot
question the orders of their seniors,
several soldiers literally pleaded for
permission to accompany Batra
even at the cost of earning severe
displeasure of the commanding
officer. The soldiers were so moved
that they were willing to be jailed or
court-martialled but only wanted
permission to accompany Batra and
reinforce the army on top of the
peak," a JAK RIF officer said.[77]

Just before leaving, Batra along with

the 25 men of D Coy who were to
accompany him, prayed at the Durga
Mata temple.[62][77] It was pitch black
night when they began the climb.[78]
Having heard a wireless message
from the base that Sher Shah
(Batra's code name) was coming, a
cheer went up among the tired Indian
soldiers on top. The commander
ordered them to hold their ground
until Batra arrived and then he would
take over.[77] "The Pakistanis too
intercepted the wireless message
where the base told the peak that
Sher Shah was coming. They knew
Batra, the first man on top of Peak
5140 in Dras, was Sher Shah and
broke into the Indian wireless
system to threaten him. Undeterred,
Batra kept climbing," said a soldier
who accompanied him.[79]

On the night of 6–7 July, the opposing

forces were so close that besides
exchanges of small arms fire, verbal
exchanges continued throughout the
night.[65][74] It was at this stage that it
became imperative for Indian troops
to destroy this Pakistani post,
located north of Point 4875, from
where enemy fire was coming as
otherwise the situation could get
worse.[65] At this juncture, the Indian
troops detected an enemy presence
on a long and narrow ledge, running
north from Point 4875. On the ledge,
the enemy were holding strong
sangars echeloned one behind the
other.[65] Batra, who was still
recovering from his own wounds he
received in the battle of Point 5140,
wanted to reach the top to rescue his
fellow soldiers and carry out
reconnaissance of the ledge where
the enemy soldiers were.[76][79] "The
problem was that the Indian soldiers
were caught unawares about the
presence of the enemy soldiers on
the ledge ahead of Twin Bump. They
went ahead into the enemy lines and
destroyed their bunkers on Peak
4875 but the firing from the ledge
pinned them down," Joshi said.[79]
Even though it was pitch dark when
they had left at night, when they
neared the top where the soldiers
had to climb vertically, visibility was
almost zero because of fog. Even
worse, it began snowing as they
advanced. En route to the top, Batra
spotted a Pakistani machine gun
position firing at the trapped Indian
soldiers. Crouching, he moved
toward the machine gun position,
hiding behind rocks whenever
possible. As he reached close to the
enemy's machine gun position he
lobbed a grenade, destroying the
machine gun position.[79] "Follow me,
boys," he whispered in the dark, and
they advanced to the next
position.[79] At 16,087 feet, even
though they were struggling for
breath and panting, this did not stop
them and they kept advancing non-
stop.[79] Before first light on 7 July,
the troops succeeded in knocking out
two more enemy machine guns,
however, firing from the ledge
continued.[79] Batra's platoon soon
reached the ledge, though by this
time it was broad daylight.[80]

At 0530 hours Joshi spoke to Batra

and asked him to recce the area.[81]
Batra, accompanied by Sub.
Raghunath Singh and Maj. Bhat, his
artillery observation officer, took out
a patrol to recce a route to reinforce
Nagappa from a flank.[82] Batra
located the position of the enemy
sangar on the ledge from which
enemy machine guns were holding
up the advance of his company.[82] At
this juncture, Batra, realising that
there was no way from the left or
right, decided to make a direct
daylight frontal assault.[81] At great
personal risk and under heavy fire
from enemy machine guns and
grenade launchers, Batra moved
forward, screaming the battle cry of
his regiment, Durga mata ki jai, and
charged the sangar firing incessantly
from his AK-47.[83] He sustained
grievous injuries in the process, yet
he continued his charge, with
supporting fire from the rest of the
patrol, and reached the very narrow
entrance of the sangar. Taking the
enemy by complete surprise, he
killed 5 Pakistani soldiers in a close
combat.[81][82][83][84][85] "There was a
time he grappled with a Pakistani
soldier, punching him in the nose. As
soon as he fell, Batra plunged his
bayonet into the fallen soldier's
stomach. But another enemy soldier
caught him from behind. He, too, was
done to death after being thrown off
the back by Batra, the ferocious. All
hell broke loose. It was utter chaos," a
JAK RIF soldier, who accompanied
him in the attack, said.[83] The attack
resulted in the deaths of seven
Pakistani soldiers and the Indians
gained a foothold on the ledge.[83][81]
Taken by surprise by this ferocious
attack, the Pakistanis started
retreating. Batra and his men had
gained the upper hand.[83] However,
there was still an enemy machine
gun nest in action on that ledge that
had to be silenced. Four Pakistani
soldiers including a junior
commissioned officer (JCO), who
was guiding the fire on the Indian
soldiers fighting outside, were
manning the machine gun nest. An
enraged Batra quickly charged
forward alone, killing all four
members of the crew.[83]

Suddenly, Batra realized that one of

his men had been shot. Turning
toward Sub. Raghunath Singh, who
was positioned behind a nearby
boulder, maintaining an iron grip on
his AK-47, Batra shouted above the
din of flying bullets: "Aap aur main
usko evacuate karenge," (We will
evacuate him, you and I). With bullets
flying around him, he pushed Singh
toward the safer side and placed
himself between Singh and the
enemy, saying: "You have a family
and children to go back to, I'm not
even married. Main sar ki taraf
rahunga aur aap paanv uthayenge" (I
will take the head and you take his
feet).[86] Batra courageously 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.[85][23][87] Batra collapsed next
to the injured soldier, succumbing to
his fatal wounds.[82][23]
In his book Param Vir: Our Heroes in
Battle, Maj. Gen. Ian Cardozo states,

Captain Vikram Batra, always

leading from the front, and fully
aware of the great danger of his
mission, displayed unparalleled
courage and determination in
eliminating a Pakistani position
at a ledge because he was aware
of the importance of his task.
His daring assault enabled the
completion of the capture of Pt
4875 and this broke the will of
 the enemy. His courage and
action were well beyond the call
of duty and he continued to take
risks, ultimately making the
supreme sacrifice in the finest
traditions of the Indian Army.[85]

Param Vir Chakra

President K. R. Narayanan presenting the

Param Vir Chakra (posthumous) to the father
of Captain Vikram Batra, 13 Jammu and
Kashmir Rifles.
Vikram Batra was awarded the
Param Vir Chakra, India's highest
military honor on 15 August 1999, the
52nd anniversary of India's
independence. His father G.L. Batra
received the honor for his deceased
son from the President of India, the
late K. R. Narayanan.[88]

The Param Vir Chakra citation reads

as follows:
“ ”
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, [89][90]

In popular culture
In the 2003 Hindi film LOC Kargil,
based on the entire Kargil conflict
Abhishek Bachchan played the role of
Captain Batra.[91]

In the upcoming film Shershaah,

Sidharth Malhotra is set to play Batra
in a biopic directed by Vishnuvardhan
and produced by Dharma
Productions and Pen India
Limited.[92][93]

Legacy

Vikram Batra's statue at Param Yodha Sthal,

National War Memorial, New Delhi
A memorial for war veterans including Batra
at his alma mater DAV College, Chandigarh.

Vikram Batra Mess.

Vikram Batra is also well known in

India for using the slogan, Yeh Dil
Maange More! as his signal to
communicate mission success.[94] He
is also known for an interview in
which he stated that Pakistani
soldiers were aware of him as "Sher
Shah" and addressed him as such in
the middle of engagements.[94][95]

He was also honoured with several

landmarks being named after him:
the historic capture of Point 4875 led
to the mountain being named Batra
Top in his honour. A hall at the
Service Selection Centre Allahabad is
named 'Vikram Batra Block', a
residential area in the Jabalpur
Cantonment is called 'Captain Vikram
Batra Enclave' and the combined
cadet's mess at the IMA is named
'Vikram Batra Mess'.[96]

A memorial for war veterans

including Batra stands at his alma
mater DAV College, Chandigarh
honouring the services of the
soldiers.[97][98] In 2003 Movie of J.P
Dutta based on the Kargil incident
Abhishek Bachchan played the role of
Captain Vikram Batra.

References
Notes
 a. H-Hour is the time at which an
assault begins[47]

Citations

1. Batra 2016, p. 21.

2. Batra 2016, pp. 19–21.
3. Batra 2016, p. 22.
4. Batra 2017.
5. Batra 2016, pp. 24–26.
6. Rawat 2014, pp. 266–267.
7. Rediff 2000.
8. Batra 2016, p. 24.
9. Kapur 2015.
10. Rawat 2014, p. 267.
 11. Batra 2016, p. 33.
12. Batra 2016, p. 28.
13. Batra 2016, pp. 29, 33.
14. Batra 2016, p. 29.
15. Banerjee 2002.
16. Batra 2016, pp. 33–35.
17. Batra 2016, p. 35.
18. Rawat 2014, p. 272.
19. Batra 2016, p. 36.
20. Batra 2016, pp. 36–43.
21. Batra 2016, p. 44.
22. Batra 2016, pp. 45–46.
23. Rawat 2014, p. 275.
24. Masih 2004.
25. Batra 2016, pp. 46–47.
26. NCERT 2016, p. 127.
27. Karmakar et al. 2009.
28. Dutt 2000, p. 306.
29. Sawant 2000, p. 18.
30. Rawat 2014, pp. 263, 267.
31. Bammi 2002, p. 223.
32. Batra 2016, p. 52.
33. Malik 2006, p. 158.
34. Dutt 2000, p. 226.
35. Marston 2008, p. 151.
36. Malik 2006, pp. 158–161.
37. Malik 2006, p. 160.
38. Singh 2014, p. 132.
39. Dutt 2000, pp. 226–227.
40. Rawat 2014, pp. 267–268.
41. Rawat 2014, p. 268.
42. Malik 2006, p. 163.
43. Singh 2001, p. 175.
44. Sawant 2000, p. 3.
45. Singh 2001, p. xix.
46. Mayadas 1999, p. 28.
47. Malik 2006, p. 162.
48. The Tribune 1999.
49. Bammi 2002, p. 225.
50. Malik 2006, p. 164.
51. Bammi 2002, p. 226.
52. Malik 2006, pp. 164–165.
53. Sawant 2000, p. 39.
54. Cardozo 2003, p. 121.
55. Jaffrelot 2008, p. 274.
56. Rawat 2014, p. 269.
57. NCERT 2016, p. 125.
58. Francis 2013, p. 106.
59. Cardozo 2003, p. 122.
60. Rawat 2014, p. 270.
61. Rathore 2016, p. 74.
62. Rawat 2014, p. 273.
63. Sawant 2000, p. 179.
64. Malik 2006, p. 177.
65. Cardozo 2003, p. 123.
66. Sawant 2000, p. 180.
67. Bhattacharya 2014, p. 139.
68. Sawant 2000, p. 181.
69. Bhattacharya 2014, p. 140.
70. Singh 2001, p. 184.
71. Bammi 2002, p. 278.
72. Sawant 2000, p. 183.
73. Malik 2006, p. 178.
74. Malik 2006, p. 179.
75. Sawant 2000, p. 184.
76. Rathore 2016, p. 103.
77. Sawant 2000, p. 185.
78. Sawant 2000, pp. 185–186.
79. Sawant 2000, p. 186.
80. Sawant 2000, pp. 186–187.
81. Rawat 2014, p. 274.
82. Bammi 2002, p. 279.
83. Sawant 2000, p. 187.
84. Malik 2006, p. 180.
85. Cardozo 2003, p. 124.
86. Rawat 2014, pp. 274–275.
87. Singh 2001, p. 185.
88. Cardozo 2003, p. 125.
89. Param Vir Chakra , Official
Website of the Indian Army
90. Cardozo 2003, pp. 124–125.
91. " 'My life is insignificant' " .
Rediff.com. December 2003.
Archived from the original on 30
 April 2017. Retrieved 4 March
2017.
92. "Kargil martyr Vikram Batra's
brother on his biopic: I hope
Sidharth Malhotra does justice
to Vikram" . Hindustan Times. 5
June 2018. Retrieved 17 July 2019.
93. "कै टन व म ब ा क बराबरी करने कम हील
वाले शूज पहनगे स ाथ, फ म के लए ले रहे
हाड े नग" . Dainik Bhaskar (in
Hindi). 16 July 2019. Retrieved
17 July 2019.
94. NDTV 2014.
95. Capt Batra lived up to his code
name , The Indian Express,
 retrieved 9 September 2014
96. "Armed Forces – Panorama" .
Sainik Samachar. Archived from
the original on 30 April 2017.
Retrieved 9 June 2016.
97. "Chandigarh's NCC girl felicitated
at college" . The Times of India. 21
February 2015. Archived from
the original on 21 February 2016.
Retrieved 24 March 2017.
98. "Girl cadets shine" . The Tribune.
21 February 2015. Archived from
the original on 28 June 2017.
Retrieved 28 June 2017.

Bibliography
" 'Yeh Dil Maange More'..Remembering
Captain Vikram Batra" . NDTV.
Archived from the original on 30 April
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Batra: The Sher Shah of Kargil: A Father
Remembers. Times Group Books.
ISBN 9789384038977.
Batra, Girdhari Lal. "Captain Vikram
Batra, PVC" . Bharat Rakshak.
Archived from the original on 30 April
2017. Retrieved 18 February 2017.
Rawat, Rachna Bisht (2014). The Brave:
Param Vir Chakra Stories. Penguin
Books India Private Limited.
ISBN 9780143422358.
"Vikram wanted to do something
extraordinary that would bring fame to
his country" . Rediff.com. January 2000.
Archived from the original on 30 April
2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
Kapur, Aarti (26 July 2015). " 'Yaaro ka
yaar' Capt Vikram Batra remembered
by family, teachers, friends" . The
Tribune. Archived from the original on
30 April 2017. Retrieved 1 March 2017.
Banerjee, Ajay (27 November 2002). "An
actor's tryst with Batra's heroism" .
The Tribune. Archived from the original
on 21 July 2017. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
Masih, Archana (June 2004). "The
soldier who became a legend" .
Rediff.com. Archived from the original
on 30 April 2017. Retrieved 3 March 2017.
NCERT, Government of India (2016),
Veer Gatha: Stories of Param Vir
Chakra Awardees (PDF), New Delhi:
National Council of Educational
Research and Training, ISBN 978-93-
5007-765-8
Karmakar, Rahul; Tantray, Amir; Singh,
Rahul; Bisht, Gaurav (26 July 2009). "The
war India can't forget" . Hindustan
Times. Archived from the original on
30 April 2017. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
Bammi, Y. M. (2002). Kargil 1999,
impregnable conquered. Gorkha
Publishers. ISBN 9788175253520.
Malik, V. P. (2006). Kargil from Surprise
to Victory. HarperCollins Publishers
India. ISBN 9788172236359.
Dutt, Sanjay (2000). War and Peace in
Kargil Sector. APH Publishing.
ISBN 9788176481519.
Marston, Daniel; Sundaram, Chandar S.,
eds. (2008). A Military History of India
and South Asia: From the East India
Company to the Nuclear Era. Indiana
University Press. ISBN 9780253219992.
Singh, Jagjit (2014). Artillery: The Battle-
Winning Arm. Lancer Publishers LLC.
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original on 30 April 2017. Retrieved
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Mayadas, M. (1999). How the Bofors
Affair Transformed India, 1989-1999
(illustrated ed.). Lancer Publishers.
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Cardozo, Ian (2003). Param Vir: Our
Heroes in Battle. Roli Books Private
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Jaffrelot, Christophe; Veer, Peter van
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Class Consumption in India and China.
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Francis, J (2013). Short Stories from the
History of the Indian Army Since
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External links
External video
Video about Captain Vikram Batra on
YouTube showing a reenactment of his final
battle during Kargil War, narrated by his
then-commanding officer, Yogesh Kumar
Joshi

'The Lives and Good Times of a

Country.' – India Today
Captain Vikram Batra said 'ye dil
maange more'! – ABP News
Remembering Vikram Batra: His
Twin Tells Us the Tale of Luv & Kush
– The Quint
Retrieved from
"https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?
title=Vikram_Batra&oldid=919733698"

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