It is a no-brainer that this day “9 September” is definitely by any reckoning the “most momentous’, “most special” and “most historic” day in the history of independent India because the “greatest of great” warrior named Captain Vikram Batra who displayed paramount bravery of the highest order and was certainly most instrumental in turning the tides in favour of India by capturing many key strategic peaks was born on this day “9 September” 50 years ago in 1974 in a small town Bandla Gaon located at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh to a Punjabi Hindu family. It is my very strong conviction that a person who is born has to die but Captain Vikram Batra can never die as long as India exists which it will exist for eternity! I beg to differ most strongly with his twin brother Mr Vishal Batra that he would have turned 50 on September 9, 2024 if he had been alive because for me in my individual capacity, he definitely cannot ever die and will always rule the heart of each and every patriotic Indian.

By all accounts, if we are living in peace with India’s boundary intact in Kargil, it is because of the supreme sacrifice rendered by Captain Vikram Batra during Kargil war. He very rightly was bestowed Param Vir Chakra which is the highest military honour but I very strongly feel that he definitely deserves Bharat Ratna also because he is an exceptional person and Centre must enact law to give Bharat Ratna award to him or abolish it altogether! Just because he got Param Vir Chakra does not mean that he cannot be given Bharat Ratna Award. He definitely most richly deserves it and Centre must on his 50th birthday anniversary get into action on this count and carve a special exception for him which he so richly deserves also!

It must be noted that Captain Vikram Batra was the third child of Mr Girdhari Lal Batra who is a government school principal and Mrs Kamal Kanta Batra who is a school teacher. He was elder of twin sons born just 14 minutes before his twin brother Mr Vishal. These twins were nicknamed ‘Luv’ (Vikram) and ‘Kush’ (Vishal) after the twin sons of the Hindu deity Prabhu Shri Ram by his mother who worshipped Prabhu Shri Ram. He had two sisters named Seema and Nutan. He initially received his primary education under the aegis of his mother.

Captain Batra was then shifted to the DAV Public School in Palampur where he studied up to middle standard. He received his senior secondary education at Central School in Palampur. He was exceptionally multi-talented and excelled not just in studies but so also in many sports activities as well like he represented his school which he represented at the national level during the Youth Parliamentary competitions in Delhi.

It must be also disclosed here that he also had represented his school and so also college in table tennis, karate and other such sports. In 1990, he and his twin brother Vishal represented their school in table tennis at All India KVS Nationals. He also was a green belt holder in Karate and had even gone to attend a national level camp in Manali.

It would be worthwhile to mention that after completing his Class XII Board Examinations in 1992 from Central School decided to join DAV College, Chandigarh in BSc Medical Sciences where he again excelled not just in studies but also in extra-curricular activities. At college, he joined the Air Wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) while he was in his first year of BSc. He was declared the best NCC Air Wing Cadet during the Inter-State NCC Camp of Punjab Directorate in North Zone.

In addition, he was also selected and underwent a 40-day paratrooping training with his NCC Air Wing unit at Pinjore Airfield and Flying Club which is about 35 km away from Chandigarh. In his next two years in DAV while doing BSc, he also remained a cadet of Army Wing of NCC. He was also the President of the Youth Service Club of his college.

Not stopping here, he also later qualified for the ‘C’ certificate in NCC and attained the rank of Senior Under Officer in his NCC unit. To top it all, he was also in 1994 selected and took part in the Republic Day parade as an NCC cadet. What really impresses me most about him is that in 1995 while he was still in college and was selected for the Merchant Navy as an officer at a shipping company headquartered in Hong Kong, he changed his mind rejecting the most lucrative career with a fat salary at the very last minute with a deepest aspiration to do “something great, something extraordinary, which may bring fame to my country” as he candidly conceded and pointed out also even in the Wikipedia which is read by all across the globe by its readers thus sacrificing “richness and money” for “safety, security and sanctity of nation” which is definitely easier said than done!

It is worth mentioning that after brilliantly graduating from DAV College in Chandigarh and completing his Bachelor’s degree in Science, he then enrolled himself 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 for which he had a very deep passion. He attended evening classes at the University and also worked part time in morning as a Branch Manager of a travelling agency in Chandigarh. The people of Chandigarh must be definitely most proud of his association with this great city as he has surpassed all in earning such a permanent niche at such a young age!

It was finally in 1996 that he cleared the CDS examination and subsequently received a call for an interview at Services Selection Board (SSB) at Allahabad and was selected. He was also among top 35 candidates in order of merit. So he left MA after completing a year of 1995-96 in English to join Indian Military Academy at Dehradun for training to become an officer in the Indian Army!

He was very greatly inspired and influenced by the inspirational stories of the “Param Vir Chakra” awardees. When he was a young boy, he along with his brother Vishal would watch the TV serial “Param Vir Chakra” with full punctuality and this motivated him to put in his best to join the Indian Army to don the Army uniform which he did ultimately on joining IMA. He always had a very helpful nature and this was testified by all those who came in contact with him and considered national interests above everything else which included his own vested interests due to which he sacrificed his most lucrative Merchant Navy dream and decided to join Indian Army!

He joined the IMA at Dehradun in June 1996. He got Jessore Company of Manekshaw Battalion and was finally commissioned into 13th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK Rifles) which is an Infantry Regiment which is reputed for its battle valours and many awards won by its officers and soldiers. After being commissioned, he was then sent to Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh for Regimental training. The training lasted for one month from December 1997 to the end of January 1998.

It must be laid bare here that he was then posted to Sopore in Baramullah district of J&K as his first assignment which was a major hub of terror activity. By April 1999, his unit had completed its field tenure and was on verge of moving to its peace location. What suddenly came as a twist in the turn of events was the detection of large scale intrusion by the Pakistani forces in Kargil sector in early May 1999 which completely changed the whole scenario and Captain Vikram Batra’s unit move to its peace location was cancelled.

It must be disclosed here that it was in mid-March 1998 that he was sent to Infantry School at Mhow in Madhya Pradesh where young officers are trained for the Young Officer’s Course. This course lasted for five months and he was awarded the top alpha grading. He then joined his battalion which was in Sopore in October 1998.

It must be also revealed here that in his initial posting at Sopore, Captain Batra had engaged in several encounters with militants which gave him good field experience on how to tackle them! While he was leading in one of those encounters with his platoon into an area of dense forest, he narrowly escaped death when a bullet that was fired by a militant on him grazed his shoulder and fatally struck one of his men and fellow soldier who was standing behind him and who was killed which shook him to the hilt! He lamented that the bullet was meant for him and not his colleague and immediately vowed to not spare anyone and then fired on terrorists and by morning all the terrorists were killed!

It must be disclosed here that the unit 13 JAK Rif of Captain Vikram Batra after successfully completing its counter-insurgency operations tenure in Kashmir under 192 Mountain Brigade of 8 Mountain Division was ordered to proceed to its new destination at Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh. But because of huge intrusions in Kargil and cross border firing, the 13th JAK Rif was ordered to move to Drass area in Kargil instead in June 1999 under the operational command of 56 Infantry Brigade. It was on 29 June 1999 that he last spoke to his mother!

It was on 6 June that 13 JAK Rif of Captain Vikram Batra reached Drass and was ordered to act as reserves to the 2nd battalion of the Rajputana Rifles (2 Raj Rif) during their attack on Tololing mountain which they did ably and it was captured on 13 June 1999. The Alpha Company of 13 JAK Rif took over Tololing and a portion of Hump complex from 18 Grenadiers. It was on 17 June that Batra’s battalion was assigned the onerous task of capturing Point 5140 on 17 June 1999 after capture of Rocky Knob located at base of Point 5140 and about 800 metres away.

After planning in detail on 18 June on how to capture it successfully, Captain Vikram Batra was put in charge of Delta Company of the Battalion. Captain Batra decided to opt for the words “Yeh Dil Mange More” (This heart wants more!) from a popular advertising slogan of Pepsi as his success signal for his company. We saw how under the cover of artillery fire, the two assault companies then started climbing Point 5140 after midnight on 20 June.

While opting for an unconventional way, Captain Batra decided to approach the hill from the rear to catch them off guard and to cut off their withdrawal route fired three rockets towards the bunkers on the east side of the feature before attacking them full fledged. He decided to climb up along with five of his men and after reaching the top hurled two grenades at the machine gun post which was being used to attack Indian soldiers. He then killed three enemy soldiers single handedly in close combat.

It must be laid bare that inspite of sustaining serious injuries in the close fight, he insisted on regrouping his men to continue with the mission. He continued to lead his troops and then charged at next enemy position. Eight Pakistani intruders were killed by him while rest fled and his company and recovered a heavy anti-aircraft machine gun.

At 04:35 hours, Captain Batra signalled his command post by radio saying the code words “Yeh Dil Mange More!” Huge arms and ammunition were recovered and it must be noted that capture of Point 5140 was the most turning point in Kargil war which set in motion a string of successes including Tiger Hill like the captures of Point 5100, Point 4700, Junction Peak and the Three Pimple Complex.

It is because of his most heroic performance and capture of most crucial Point 5140 that Captain Vikram Batra was nicknamed Sher Shah by his friends which was the code word he got even during his operation. He was promoted to the rank of Captain from Lieutenant. He was personally congratulated by then Army Chief General Ved Prakash Malik and his most widely acclaimed heroic acts were played out in news channels and became talk point all across the nation!

On 26 June shortly after the capture of Point 5140, 13 JAK Rif was ordered to move from Drass to Ghumri to rest, refit and recoup for more fights. The battalion was then moved to Mushkoh Valley on 30 June. The next assignment allocated for Captain Batra’s battalion was to capture the Point 4875.

Be it noted, it was on 1 July 1999 that Major S Vijay Bhaskar, ‘A’ Company commander and Lt. Col. Joshi, commanding officer of the 13 JAK Rifles, conducted their preliminary reconnaissance after climbing to a vantage point, and formulated an exhaustive attack plan. Subsequently, it was on 2 July that the General Officer Commanding (GOC) of 8 Mountain Division, Major General Mohinder Puri and Brigadier Rajesh Kumar Kakkar Commander 79 Mountain Brigades and Lt Col Y.K. Joshi, Commanding Officer 13 JAK Rifles gathered at 79 Mountain Brigades headquarters, to discuss the plan. It was at 1800 hours that same day, artillery bombardment of the enemy positions on Point 4875 commenced, and continued throughout the whole night. At 2030 hours, under the cover of artillery fire, ‘A’ and ‘C’ Companies began climbing the Point 4875. Captain Vikram Batra was lying in a sleeping bag near the Mushkoh nullah, and was down with fever and fatigue. His commanding officer had ordered him to rest even though his battalion, 13 JAK Rifles, had launched its attack on Point 4875.

Both the assault companies were leading the offensive from the right flank but the attack was also halted by very effective sniper fire and small arms from Pakistani soldiers hiding behind rocks. At 0430 hours, the two companies deployed their automatic weapons and began to fire at the well-fortified enemy positions at the top of the feature. At around 1015 hours on 5 July, the commanding officer of ‘C’ company informed the battalion commander about their situation which prompted Lt Col Joshi to personally fire two Fagot missiles in quick succession from the fire base which neutralised the enemy position. The Indian troops then promptly began advancing again. By 1300 hours, these troops had captured Point 4875. They then consolidated their hold on Point 4875, however the Indian troops continued to receive enemy artillery and machine-gun fire from Pimple 2 and area North of Point 4875.

It deserves noting that 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. The 13 JAK Rifles had captured Flat top feature of Point 4875 on the afternoon of 5 July after a fierce battle with Pakistani forces. But the enemy launched an immediate counterattack to take back the Area Flat Top they had lost. Capt NA Nagappa held the Area flat top against the counter attacking Pakistani force. It must be mentioned that Capt Nagappa was seriously injured and incapacitated during this battle. Taking advantage of this situation, the Pakistanis started climbing faster.

Batra, who was observing the situation from base, went to his commanding officer and volunteered. Seeing him unwell, the commanding officer did not want him to go but Batra insisted on it. That same day, the enemy launched a second counterattack on Flat Top and although the Indian troops succeeded in beating back this, too, they urgently needed reinforcements. Several of his battalion’s soldiers volunteered to accompany Batra even before any Company could be ordered.

Just before leaving, Captain Batra along with the 25 men of his Delta Company, who were to accompany him, prayed at the Durga Mata temple. It was pitch black night when they began the climb. Having heard a wireless message from the base that Sher Shah (Batra’s code name) was coming, a cheer went up among the Indian soldiers on top. The commander ordered them to hold their ground until Sher Shah arrived and then he would take over.

Captain 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. 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. Before first light on the 7th, the troops succeeded in knocking out two more enemy machine guns, however, firing from the ledge continued. Batra’s platoon soon reached the ledge, though by this time it was broad daylight.

At 0530 hours Lt. Col. Joshi spoke to Batra and asked him to reconnoitre the area. Batra, accompanied by Subedar Raghunath Singh and Major Bhat, his artillery observation officer, took out a patrol to recce a route to re-inforce Naveen from a flank. Batra located the position of the enemy sangar on the ledge from which enemy machine guns were holding up the advance of his company. At this juncture, Batra, realising there was no way from the left or right, decided to make a direct assault in daylight itself.

Under heavy fire from enemy machine guns and grenade firing launchers, Batra moved forward, screaming the battle cry of JAK RIF – Durga Mata Ki Jai, and charged the sangar firing incessantly from his AK-47. He sustained grievous injuries in the process, yet he continued his charge, with supporting fire from the rest of the patrol, and upon reaching the very narrow entrance of the sangar and taking the enemy by complete surprise, he killed 5 Pakistani soldiers in a very close-quarter battle. The attack resulted in seven Pakistani soldiers killed after which the Indians gained a foothold on the ledge. Taken by surprise by the attack, Pakistanis started retreating. Batra and his men had gained the upper hand by now. Batra pulled out a bleeding Naveen from the bunker. However, there was still an enemy machine gun nest in action on that ledge that had to be silenced. Four Pakistani soldiers including a JCO who was guiding the fire on the Indian soldiers fighting outside, were manning the machine gun nest. Batra charged forward alone, killing all four members of the crew.

Captain Vikram Batra realized that one of his men had been shot. He resolved to evacuate him with Subedar Raghunath Singh. He exposed himself to enemy fire to drag the injured soldier to safety even though the injured soldier did not want him to endanger his own life to which Batra said that you are a men with wife and children and your safety is more important, 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. He collapsed next to the injured soldier thus succumbing to the fatal wounds.

In conclusion, the bottom-line is that it is high time and Centre must now display requisite political will to go ahead and enact law to create an exception to give the Bharat Ratna award which is the highest civilian award also to Captain Vikram Batra just like Param Vir Chakra! If this cannot be done under any circumstances then Bharat Ratna award definitely must be abolished. But why abolish it? Why can’t an exception be made most laudably in favour of Captain Vikram Batra who is always adored, applauded and admired by all Indians all across the globe?

He definitely most richly deserves it also and I do fervently hope that Centre on the glorious completion of 25 years of Kargil war victory that was masterminded by Pakistani Army as its Chief just recently openly acknowledged it after denying it since last 25 years which India won superbly by sheer dint of paramount bravery and sacrifice rendered by Captain Vikram Batra and ably assisted by brave soldiers so bravely and played the most instrumental role in capturing the most key peaks as mentioned hereinabove that was most desperately needed also to ensure that India emerges as a winner in the Kargil war! This will definitely go the extra mile in this direction of motivating not just young Indians but also so that it acts as the biggest inspiration for all the Indians all across the globe! No denying or disputing it!

Sanjeev Sirohi, Advocate,
s/o Col (Retd) BPS Sirohi, A 82, Defence Enclave,
Sardhana Road, Kankerkhera, Meerut - 250001, Uttar Pradesh