“I’ll either come back after raising the Indian flag in victory or return wrapped in it, but I will come for sure.” Hello, Warriors! These were the last words of the Sher Shah of the Indian Army, Late Captain Vikram Batra.
Many of you might recall hearing his name during the tumultuous times of the Kargil war. His valor and sacrifice have etched him into the annals of history, ensuring he will be remembered for generations to come. Had fate taken a different turn, Captain Vikram Batra would have celebrated his birthday on 9th September. While he did return to the nation as he vowed, it was with the tricolour shrouding him. Such was his dedication and love for his nation that personal milestones like birthdays became inconsequential. His sacrifice ensures that 1.25 billion Indians can rejoice and commemorate their own special days in an environment of peace.
After successfully capturing peak 5140, Captain Batra’s voice filled with pride as he informed his father of the accomplishment. Yet, he remained unaware that the weight of responsibility on his shoulders was set to intensify. Merely nine days post that conversation, as he prepared for a critical mission to reclaim peak 4875, he reached out to his family one last time. Tragically, that would be his final call home.
Qualities To Learn From Captain Vikram Batra, PVC
Here are some qualities that we, as defence aspirants should learn from Martyr Capt Vikram Batra, PVC:
- Active Participation: Had Vikram Batra not volunteered to capture peak 4875, the Pakistanis would have gained more advantage over the Indian troops and cut the NH1 between Srinagar and Ladakh. Had he not done that, the Indian Army would’ve virtually lost the war against the Pakistan. But Vikram Batra volunteered for the mission and disregard to his personal safety killed 5 militants in hand to hand combat.
- Flexibility: Vikram Batra was adaptive to ever changing conditions of the Kargil and Kargil war. He didn’t complain or get stressed out to face a new challenge of recapturing the critical peaks.
- Commitment: During the rescue attempt, Vikram Batra pushed aside his Subedar, saying “Tu baal-bacchedar hai, hat ja peeche.”(You have children, step aside) and was killed in action while clearing enemy positions. His last words were, “Jai Mata Di.“, which is a Punjabi creed referring to Durgadevi, the Hindu Goddess of Victory. This showed his commitment towards the safety of his fellow soldiers.
- Problem-Solver: The capture of Point 5140 set in motion a string of successes, such as victory of Point 5100, Point 4700, Junction Peak and Three Pimples. Along with fellow Captain Anuj Nayyar, Batra led his men to victory with the recapture of Point 4750 and Point 4875.
- Reliability: One can count on a reliable team member who gets work done and does his/her fair share of work hard and meet commitments. One would like to depend on a person who consistently performs well. And so did Batra’s then-commanding officer, Yogesh Kumar Joshi.
Captain Vikram Batra called his father after capturing peak 5140 saying that he had completed the operation and captured the peak, little did he know that his responsibilities were going to increase many fold in the coming days. Nine days after that phone call, Vikram Batra made one more phone call as he was to leave for an urgent mission to recapture peak 4875. He never called back home again after that.
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For his supreme sacrifice for the country, Captain Batra was awarded the Param Veer Chakra, the highest gallantry award of the country. His citation read was 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.”
