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'Vikram called me, so I'm here on Pt 4875', says Brother Vishal Batra

In Memoriam: Twin brother remembers Captain Batra, martyred in Kargil war

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(Left)Captain Vikram Batra; Vishal (c), Capt Batra’s twin brother
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'Yeh Dil Maange More' was the message that Captain Vikram Batra relayed to his command centre as he fought valiantly to recapture Point 4875 from Pakistani intruders during the Kargil War in 1999. But later he fell to the enemy fire. The point was then renamed Batra Top to honour the hero.

Ahead of the 20th anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas, it was an emotional moment for Capt Batra's twin brother Vishal when he trekked up to reach Batra Top. "I'm here after 20 years. Vikram is calling me from that hilltop, and I'm going there to meet him," Vishal told this correspondent as he prepared for a tortuous ascend from Dras.

Vishal said the first thing he attempted after scaling the Batra Top was call up his parents. "Fortunately, the call got connected. As I spoke to my parents, I felt Vikram was around, listening to our conversation."

The recapture of Point 4875, which overlooks the all-important Srinagar-Leh highway, by soldiers from the 13 JAK RIF and 41

Medium Regiment was pivotal during Operation Vijay.

Lt YK Joshi was the General Officer Commanding of Capt Batra's battallion. Recalling his radio communication with Capt Vikram Batra at the time, he said, "While he was fighting the enemies and destroying their bunkers, he connected with me through radio communication. I had asked him what would be his call sign. He said 'Yeh Dil Maange More'."

The message was a bit odd, said Lt Joshi. "I quickly realised that while he had destroyed a few Pakistani bunkers, his target was to shatter the remaining bunkers and so he chose the call sign 'Yeh Dil Maange More'."

Zee Media Newsroom

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