All throughout history there have been some great army men who have exemplary act of valour by putting the  nation first  and giving up their lives fighting for the honour of the country.

Captain Vikram Batras’s, sacrifice for the nation is one such sacrifice which made him a hero who chose the call of duty towards his country over his self. On  07 July 1999, Captain Vikram Batra, of 13 JAK RIF laid his life while fighting for the Point 4875 peak during Kargil war in 1999. This peak was later named after Cap. Vikram Batra.

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Born on 9 September 1974, in a small town in Palampur, Himachal Pradesh, Vikram Batra was initially assigned to the merchant navy  at a shipping company headquartered in Hong Kong, however he changed his mind and joined the Indian army.

Apart from being a brave soldier Captain Batra was also academically sharp. He completed his graduation from DAV College, Chandigarh and  passed out in the year 1995. Before he was selected as an officer in the Indian Army he completed one year as a student of MA English (session 1995-96) at the Punjab University.

Captain Batra attained martyrdom On 07 July 1999 during the Kargil war after killing the enemy and defending his colleagues. He was shot at by a sniper while he was trying to rescue a junior officer. He was later posthumously awarded the Paramvir Chakra (PVC) the highest bravery honour in the country.

Some facts you were not aware about this youth icon

• He was the eldest of twin sons,  the younger brothernamed Vishal.
• His father  Girdhari Lal Batra was a government school principal, and his mother Kamal Kanta Batra was a school teacher.
• His code name during the mission was Sher Shah.
• Capt Batra had sent a signal ‘Dil Maange More'(Pepsi ad catchline) during the capture of Pt 5140 that had made him a youth icon.
• One of the peaks (peak 4875) along the Line of Control (LoC) which he captured by making the supreme sacrifice is called ‘‘Captain Batra Top’’. It is this very top that made Captain Batra an overnight sensation and youth icon.
• Two Bollywood movies have been made on him titled , LOC Kargil (2003) and Shershaah (2021) where Abhishek Bachchan and Siddarth Malhotra play the role of Captain Batra.
• After taking admission in the Master’s course heattended evening classes at the University and in the mornings worked part-time as a branch manager of a travelling agency in Chandigarh.