Kamal Kant Batra, mother of Kargil war hero captain Vikram Batra, dies at 77
Kamal Kant Batra, mother of Kargil War hero Vikram Batra and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, passed away at the age of 77.
Kamal Kant Batra, the mother of Kargil war hero captain Vikram Batra and former Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader, has died. She was 77. Kamal Kant Batra breathed her last at Palampur in Himachal Pradesh's Kangra district on Wednesday.
Himachal Pradesh chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu offered condolences. “Sad news was received about the demise of Mrs. Kamalkant Batra, mother of martyr Captain Vikram Batra. We pray to God to grant Mata Ji a place at His feet and give strength to the bereaved family to bear the immense sorrow,” Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu posted on X (formerly Twitter).
Kamal Kant Batra contested the Lok Sabha elections from Hamipur, Himachal Pradesh, in 2014 - representing the AAP. However, she resigned from the party after a few months citing “dissatisfaction” with the organisational structure of the party.
Her son, Captain Vikram Batra - known as ‘Sher Shah’ - died at the age of 24 fighting the Pakistani forces during the Kargil war on July 7, 1999. His courageous actions earned him the highest wartime gallantry award ‘Param Vir Chakra’. Due to his exemplary feat, Captain Vikram was awarded with several other titles such as ‘Tiger of Drass’, the ‘Lion of Kargil’, and the ‘Kargil Hero’. Batra's punchline victory slogan ‘Yeh Dil Mange More’ became popular and a household phrase across the country.
Born on September 9, 1974, in Himachal Pradesh's Palampur district, Captain Vikram Batra studied at the DAV Public School and completed his senior secondary education at the Central School. He went on to pursue his higher education in Chandigarh, during which he joined the Air Wing of the National Cadet Corps (NCC).
Vikram Batra joined the Indian Military Academy (IMA) at Dehradun, in June 1996 in the Manekshaw Battalion. In 1999, he was sent on a Commando Course in Karnataka where he was awarded the highest grading - the Instructor's Grade. As he began his service as a lieutenant, he rose to the rank of Captain soon.
Notably, Vikram Batra had made his last phone call to his mother on June 29, 1999 - a few days before he was killed in the war.
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