Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: 10 Facts About Real-life Hero Captain Vikram Batra

KARGIL VIJAY DIWAS 2023: Kargil Vijay Diwas is celebrated on July 26, remembering the sacrifice made by Indian Army soldiers. On this day, the country commemorates the Army's victory over Pakistani troops in Kargil, Ladakh, in 1999, after more than 60 days of battle.

On this day, amid the many brave hearts who sacrificed their lives for the country, the name of Captain Vikram Batra comes to mind. Captain Batra gave his life fighting bravely for India throughout the battle. He was just 24 years old at the time and was posthumously awarded the Param Vir Chakra, the highest honour for battlefield heroism.

Kargil Vijay Diwas 2023: 10 Facts About Captain Vikram Batra

1. Captain Batra was born in Himachal Pradesh’s Palampur and has a twin brother and two sisters. After finishing high school, he enrolled in DAV College in Chandigarh, and subsequently at Punjab University for his postgraduate studies.

2. In 1996, Batra enrolled in Dehradun’s Indian Military Academy (IMA), where he trained for the armed forces until graduating a year later. His first posting was with the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles’ 13th battalion.

3. The same regiment engaged Pakistani troops who infiltrated Indian positions along the Line of Control (LoC) in Kargil.

4. Captain Batra’s most difficult mission was the seizure of Point 4875. He was assigned the codename “Sher Shah" which he lived up to by assuring the triumph of the Indian armed forces.

5. Apart from Sher Shah, Batra is also known as the “Tiger of Drass,” the “Kargil Hero” and the “Lion of Kargil”.

6. Despite high fever and tiredness, Captain Batra led the force. His fellow soldiers recall stories of his bravery and courage. During the battle, he is reported to have shot at least four Pakistani soldiers.

7. On July 7, the mission was practically complete. Captain Batra, on the other hand, raced out of his bunker to help another officer, Lieutenant Naveen Anaberu, who had received severe leg injuries in an explosion. Captain Batra was shot while attempting to save his colleague.

8. Captain Batra’s father, GL Batra, recounted his son’s life in his book titled – ‘Param Vir Vikram Batra, the Sher Shah of Kargil’.

9. GL Batra visited Kargil in 2002, three years after his son’s death. “The journey would not have been complete without touching the soil where Vikram laid down his life. It was an overwhelming gesture when the corps commander gifted us with two glasses filled with the soil of Point 4875 and Tololing. For us, it was nothing less than visiting a pilgrimage site," GL Batra wrote as he expressed himself in the book.

10. Captain Batra’s biopic Shershaah, starring Sidharth Malhotra and Kiara Advani, was released on Amazon Prime Videos on August 12, 2021.