Captain Vikram Batra, PVC (9 September 1974 – 7 July 1999) was an
officer of the Indian Army. He was posthumously awarded the Param Vir
Chakra, India's highest and most prestigious award for valour, for his
actions during the 1999 Kargil War,during which he led one of the most
difficult mountain warfare operations in Indian military history.
Internal messages of the Pakistani Army intercepted by India often
referred to him as Sher Shah ("Lion King").
Batra was born on 9 September 1974, in a small town in Palampur,
Himachal Pradesh. He was the third child of Girdhari Lal Batra, a
government school principal, and Kamal Kanta Batra, a school teacher. 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 the Hindu deity Rama, by their
mother as she was a staunch devotee of Rama. He had two sisters: Seema
and Nutan (also called Neetu). He received his primary education from
his mother, who herself was a teacher. He then attended the D.A.V.
Public School in Palampur, where he studied up to middle standard. He
received his senior secondary education at Central School, Palampur.
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. He also was a green belt holder in
Karate and went on to attend a national level camp in Manali.
After completing his Class XII board examinations in 1992 from Central
School, he attended DAV College, Chandigarh in B.Sc Medical Sciences. At
college, he joined the Air Wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC) while
he was in his first year. During the Inter-State NCC Camp, he was
adjudged the best NCC Air Wing cadet of Punjab Directorate in North
Zone. 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. During the next two years in DAV, he
remained a cadet of the Army Wing of NCC. In addition, he was the
president of the Youth Service Club of his college.
He afterward qualified for the 'C' certificate in the NCC and attained
the rank of Senior Under Officer in his NCC unit. Subsequently, in 1994,
he was selected and took part in the Republic Day parade as an NCC
cadet, and when he came back home, he told his parents that he wanted to
join the Army. His maternal grandfather was also a soldier in the Indian
Army. 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." That same year he
completed his bachelor's degree, graduating from the DAV College in
Chandigarh.
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. He attended evening classes at the University and
worked part-time in the morning as a branch manager of a travelling
agency in Chandigarh. "I do not want to be a burden on you, dad," he had
told his father.
In 1996, he passed the CDS examination and subsequently received a call
for an interview at the Services Selection Board (SSB) at Allahabad and
was selected. He was among the top 35 candidates in the Order of Merit.
After completing a year (session 1995—96) towards the degree of MA in
English, he left the University to join the Indian Military Academy.
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.
Batra joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, in June 1996
in the Manekshaw Battalion. After completing his 19-month training
course, he graduated from the IMA on 6 December 1997 and was
commissioned as a lieutenant into the Indian Army. He was commissioned
into the 13th battalion of the Jammu and Kashmir Rifles (13 JAK Rif).
After commissioning, he was sent to Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh for
regimental training. The training lasted one month, from December, 1997
to the end of January, 1998.
On completion of this training he got his first posting at Sopore in
Baramulla district of Jammu and Kashmir, an area with significant
militant activity. In mid-March 1998, he was sent to the Infantry School
at Mhow, Madhya Pradesh, where young Army officers are trained, 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 joined his battalion in Sopore in October 1998.
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. Believing that the
bullet was meant for him and not his colleague, he ordered his men to
nab the militants, and by morning all of the militants were killed.
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.
In January 1999, Batra was sent on a 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.
Every time when he came home to Palampur on leave, he would visit the
Neugal Cafe. 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 an acquaintance 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.
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.
After his leave, he returned to join his battalion in Sopore. The 13 JAK
Rif, after completing its CI Ops (counter-insurgency operations) 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 Major Yogesh Kumar Joshi had reached its
destination, when on 5 June, because of the outbreak of the war, its
deployment orders were changed and the battalion received orders to move
to Dras.
Batra informed his parents about his movement and assured them they need
not worry about him. He would call his parents at least once in ten
days. 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.
Beginning his service as a lieutenant, he rose to the rank of Captain.
Vikram Batra is also well known in India for using the slogan,
Yeh Dil Maange More! as his signal to
communicate mission success. He is also known for an interview in which
he stated that Pakistani soldiers were aware of him.
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', 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'.
A memorial for war veterans including Batra stands at his alma mater DAV
College, Chandigarh honouring the services of the soldiers.
Government College Palampur was later renamed in the memory of Batra.
The college is renamed as Shaheed Captain Vikram Batra Government
College, Palampur.
New Delhi's Mukarba Chowk and its flyover were renamed in honour of
Batra in December 2019 as "Shaheed Captain Vikram Batra Chowk".
Saheed Captain Vikram Batra Stadium at Palampur was named after
Batra.
Panjab University, Chandigarh dedicated state of the art Indoor Shooting
Range in honour of Captain Vikram Batra.
The Indian Army paid tribute to Batra on the 21st anniversary of his
death in a video posted on its social media account. The video featured
Batra's famous words- Yeh dil maange more, and included people of all
ages and from all walks of life saying "I am Vikram Batra".
To commemorate the 22 years of the sacrifice made by Batra, Army
Commander Northern Command Lieutenant general Yogesh Kumar Joshi
overflew the famous "Batra Top" in a Sukhoi-30 MKI and paid homage to
the nation's hero from the sky. Joshi was also the then Commanding
Officer of Batra.