Excelsior Sports Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 7: The Army organised an expedition to Batra Top and Tiger Hill in Kargil sector to commemorate the Vijay Divas.
To commemorate this victory as part of the 20th anniversary of Op VIJAY, a trekking expedition to Batra Top was undertaken by 13 JAK RIF. The objective of the trek was to celebrate the triumph of the Battalion over the enemy as also to pay homage to the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in service of the Motherland. 13 JAKRIF was awarded the Battle Honour “Mushkoh & Drass” and Theatre Honour “Kargil” and there were gallantry awards to include two Param Vir Chakras and three Vir Chakras.
The trekking team of the 13 JAK RIF Battalion was flagged off on July 6, 2019 by Commander Drass Brigade. The team one Junior Commissioned Officer, 10 other ranks moved from Drass and set forth on their trek across the treacherous, harsh mountainous terrain of Drass Sector and reached Batra Top today. At the summit the team was received by Lt Gen Y K Joshi, General Officer Commanding Fire and Fury Corps. The General Officer was the Commanding Officer of the battalion at the time of the Kargil War.
Many battles define the Kargil War and one such battle which stands out is the battle of Point 4875. The recapture of Pt 4875 was pivotal during OP VIJAY and 13 JAK RIF had achieved the impossible during this battle. No one can forget Capt Vikram Batra who had decimated the enemy through his heroic acts and the famous “Dil Maange More” which had the entire nation fall in admiration of this war icon.
Another battle was the battle of Tiger Hill in which the troops of 18 Grenadiers had valiantly fought and evicted a well-entrenched enemy playing havoc on them. It was sheer resilience and determination of these brave hearts who were undeterred by the enemy fire power and were willing to go the extra mile to dislodge the enemy from their positions.
Tiger Hill is symbolic to Op. VIJAY and stands tall in Drass Sector as an epitome of the sacrifice, bravery and heroism of many unsung heroes who laid their lives in the capture of the feature.
The team comprising of one officer, 15 other ranks and one veteran Junior Commission Officer moved from Drass and summited Tiger hill today. During the expedition, the team spread the message of “Remember the Fallen”.
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