On 7 July 1999, Captain Vikram Batra, a young and brave officer who had caught the fancy of the nation and become the icon of Indian Army Officer spirit by his success signal during the capture of Pt 5140 with victory message ‘Dil Maange More’, made the supreme sacrifice but not before capturing Pt 4875 during the Kargil war, now christened as Batra Top. To commemorate his ‘BalidanDiwas’, Lt Gen Y K Joshi, his then Commanding Officer and now GOC-in-C, Northern Command, overflew Batra Top in a Sukhoi-30 MKI on Wednesday. This gesture epitomises the enduring relationship between a Commanding Officer and his officer.
Lt Gen YK Joshi paid homage to his fallen comrade from the sky, an apt recognition of IAF’s contribution to the ground operations in Operation VIJAY.
Capt Batra continues to motivate the present generation of officers and would do so in perpetuity. It is most befitting that his gallant action is commemorated by his then Commanding Officer of 13 JAK RIF whose contribution to the war effort were recognised by the award of VrC for exceptional leadership in face of the adversary.