Capturing Point 4875, at an altitude of 17,000 feet, during the Kargil War was taken up with a lot of hardship. Steep, snow-bound terrain, coupled with thick fog, made the operation difficult for the Indian Army. Heavy gunfire and regimental weapons like khukris and cleavers helped them secure the victory. Finally, in July 1999, 13 JAK Rifles won at Point 4875 in the Mushkoh sector and bagged two Param Vir Chakras.

Memories of  Tough Fight

Brigadier S. Vijay Bhaskar, honored with the Vir Chakra and commanding Alpha Company during the war, recalled that day with a unique sense of enthusiasm. Just moments earlier, he had cradled the lifeless bodies of his comrades drenched in their blood, solemnly burying Pakistani soldiers in respectful graves. He described a mix of emotions within them: the sorrow of losing Captain Vikram Batra that morning, the relief of completing a mission, the joy of hoisting the tricolor at Point 4875 (now known as Batra Top), and the concern that, despite driving away Pakistan’s 12 Northern Light Infantry from the peaks, artillery shelling from enemy bunkers persisted.

Green Chili Pickle

It was Colonel Rajesh Adhikari who played a vital role in the battles for Point 5140 and Point 4875. He claimed that during combat, the commanders warned the soldiers against accepting the Pakistani foods. Brigadier Baskar did feel that there could be a possibility of poisoning, but some soldiers, himself and his medical assistant Subedar Major Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan not exempted, did not take the warning seriously as they had the notion that the salt content in the pickles would kill the poison. They found the green chili pickle quite palatable to their taste buds. Fresh green French beans in the Pakistani cookhouse during the fighting was a clue that their supply lines must have remained intact.

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Batalik Sector

During the Kargil War, Indian forces combed the camp of Pakistani soldiers for pickles but did not find any in the Batalik sector. However, they took many Pak soldiers as prisoners, which left the Pakistani officers in a state of shock. Retired Brigadier Devinder Singh, who commanded the 70 Infantry Brigade in the Batalik LOC sector, recalls that soldiers from the 12 JAK Light Infantry found a bottle of perfume and a cake of Lux soap at Captain Kamar’s bunker on Point 4812 in Khalubar Ridge. These, along with preserved rations, weapons, gas masks, and ammunition, became souvenirs from the operations there.