SET out on an expedition to Drass War Memorial from the last border hamlet Mana in Uttarakhand, a 9-member team of the Indian Army reached Kargil War hero Capt Vikram Batra’s hometown in Himachal Pradesh home and paid respects his parents.

 

 

Capt Batra’s father G L Batra and mother Kamal Kanta Batra were emotional on receiving the soldiers of Capt Batra’s 13, Jammu and Kashmir Rifles, Defence PRO Lt Col Devender Anand said. “It was a special day for the proud parents of Capt Batra,” Lt Col Anand said. Capt Batra was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously. Capt Batra’s twin brother Vishal, along with 11 soldiers of the Indian Army, scaled the Batra Top in Kargil on July 7. On July 26, 1999, Indian troops recaptured several mountain tops, including Point 4875, overlooking the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway from Pakistani intruders that decisively tilted the war in India’s favour.

 

 

Many battles define the ‘Operation Vijay’ during the Kargil War and one that stands out is the battle for Point 4875. Twenty years later, Indian soldiers are again scaling the jagged heights. The 13, JAK Rifles is organising the expedition from Mana in Uttarakhand to Kargil in Jammu and Kashmir. The expedition flagged off on July 6 would reach Kargil on July 26 on the Kargil Vijay Diwas. The expedition is led by Major Ritwick Singh.