Of valour and sacrifice: A look at Kargil conflict through famous battles and maps
Story by Smruti Deshpande
Visuals by Prajna Ghosh, Wasif Khan & Shruti Naithani
Nestled in the peaks of the mighty Himalayas, Kargil saw a fierce military conflict between India and Pakistan in 1999. The conflict drew to a close with India declaring victory on 26 July. Every year since, the day is observed as Kargil Vijay Diwas to mark a victory that came at a great cost — 527 Army personnel, most barely in their mid-20s, were killed, while 1,363 were wounded.
These young soldiers stared death in the face, scaled the treacherous peaks of Kargil, at altitudes as high as 17,000 feet, to reclaim Indian territory surreptitiously captured by Pakistani intruders.
It started with regular soldiers of the Pakistan Army, dressed in civilian clothes, occupying heights in Kargil from where Indian troops had pulled back the previous winter as part of a mutual agreement.
India learnt much later that the Pakistan Army under its then chief Gen Pervez Musharraf was planning ‘Operation Badr’ around the same time then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee undertook the bus journey to Lahore in February 1999.
The objective of ‘Operation Badr’ was to change the alignment of the Line of Control (L0C) so as to deny India access to the strategic Srinagar-Leh highway that cuts through Kargil.
The Indian Army, political dispensation and intelligence agencies were caught off guard and learnt of the betrayal by Pakistan only when an Indian grazier from the Batalik sector alerted them to strange movement by armed men in the area in May that year.
In his 2020 book Kargil: From Surprise to Victory, Gen V.P. Malik, who served as Army chief from 1997 till 2000, notes that ‘stealth and deception’ formed the basis of the Pakistan Army’s plans.
From the captured ridgeline, the intruders could effectively dominate the arterial highway through observation and artillery fire and impede troop movement to Indian deployments along the LoC.
On the eve of Kargil Vijay Diwas , ThePrint looks at key battles of the 1999 Kargil conflict, as narrated by Gen Malik in his book.
TOLOLING
With the live telecast of the conflict, features such as Tololing and Tiger Hill in Dras, the sector in Kargil which saw some of the fiercest battles of the conflict, became household names. The recapture of Tololing marked the Indian Army’s first major victory of the conflict.
Initial intel received by the Indian Army in the third week of May indicated the presence of 6-8 intruders on each feature of the Tololing ridgeline.
Tololing is only 5 km from Dras and the Srinagar-Leh highway, a lifeline for the armed forces and civilian population in Ladakh to stock up for winter months after the opening of the Zoji La pass in summer.
Recapture of this feature was, thus, accorded highest operational priority.
The 56 Mountain Brigade of 8 Mountain Division swung into action, and the task to evict the intruders from Tololing ridgeline was assigned to 18 Grenadiers. The battalion had only four days to prepare.
Equipped with mortar artillery and medium machine-guns (MMGs), they launched the attack on 22-23 May.
As they drew closer, the soldiers faced heavy fire from Pakistani intruders using direct firing weapons including heavy machine guns, MMGs and air defence guns.
Subsequently, India relied on airstrikes by armed Cheetah and Mi-17 helicopters to batter the intruders.
The first Battalion of Naga Regiment (1 Naga) was entrusted with securing Point 5140 and cutting off Tololing.
The 18 Grenadiers, commanded by Col Khushal Thakur with Lt Col R. Vishwanathan as his second-in-command, came under heavy machine-gun fire and found no success. Major R.S. Adhikari, who got within 25-30 metres of an enemy sangar (fortified position), was among those who fell to enemy fire.
The Indian Army subsequently brought in more reinforcements in the form of infantry and artillery by inducting Bofors 155mm howitzers.
Enemy sangars were then subjected to heavy mortar assault. As the coordinated firing was underway, Lt Col Vishwanathan led the Grenadiers and launched another attack. While the battalion eventually recaptured Point 4590, highest peak of the ridgeline, Lt Col Vishwanathan succumbed to injuries sustained in the assault.
With some success, the Grenadiers stayed put exactly where they were.
Further, to recapture Tololing, 2 Rajputana Rifles under 56 Mountain Brigade, took charge of operations and mounted an assault on the ridgeline on 12 June, with help from additional artillery regiments.
The focus was Point 4590. Defying continuous fire, companies of 2 Rajputana Rifles managed to reclaim this strategic feature. Angered by the setback, Pakistanis pounded the Tololing ridgeline with intense artillery fire. Finally, after three weeks of fighting, the Indian Army recaptured Point 4590.
The battle of Tololing claimed the lives of 27 Indian soldiers and left at least 49 others wounded.
POINT 5140
For the Indian Army, its next objective was the recapture of Point 5140. A Rocky Knob at its base was the stepping stone for this feature.
In their initial attempts to recapture Point 5140, the 13 JAK Rifles and 18 Grenadiers faced heavy shelling.
The Bofors 155mm howitzers were also deployed here in an attempt to oust the enemy using direct fire.
As narrated in Gen Malik’s book, the 13 JAK Rifles, commanded by Lt Col Y.K. Joshi, carried out a recce of Pakistani intruders’ defences at Point 5140 on 18 June.
Thereafter, given the size of the area, the Indian Army launched a multidirectional assault with three battalions — 13 JAK Rifles, 18 Garhwal Rifles and 1 Naga — mounting an attack from three different sides.
The next day, the Indian Army engaged the Pakistani intruders using artillery and infantry mortars.
It was during the assault on this feature by 13 JAK Rifles that Captain Vikram Batra engaged in hand-to-hand combat with the adversaries and killed four of them.
Captain S.S. Jamwal, leading the final assault on the feature, cleared seven sangars and chased the intruders off by the morning of 20 June.
Over the next few days, the Indian Army carried out assaults on multiple features here including Area Rocky and Black Tooth — secured by 1 Naga in back-to-back assaults on 19 and 22 June respectively. Among those who laid down their lives here was Sepoy K. Ashuli, killed while fixing a rope on the cliff for the recapture of Black Tooth.
These operations marked the conclusion of the recapture of Point 5140, along with Bumps IX and X.
Lt Col YK Joshi
(13 JAK Rifles)
(Vir Chakra)
Capt SS Jamwal
(Army Service Corps)
Vir Chakra
Capt Vikram Batra
(13 JAK Rifles)
Param Vir Chakra (Posthumous)
Point 4700 and Three Pimples
Before moving on to Tiger Hill, which became the most definitive and talked-about battle of the 1999 Kargil conflict, the Indian Army set its sights on Point 4700 and Three Pimples.
Pakistani intruders, after they were evicted from Tololing and Point 5140, had ‘consolidated’ at Point 4700.
On 28 June, 18 Garhwal Rifles launched an operation to secure the feature. They tasted success despite heavy firing from the enemy side. This was followed by recapture of two other features, Rocky and Sangar, on 30 June.
Next was Three Pimples, a complex made up of three main features, namely Knoll, Lone Hill and Three Pimples. Strategic importance was attached to it since it could allow intruders to keep an eye on Indian troop movement and direct artillery fire.
The 2 Rajputana Rifles, led by its Commanding Officer Lt Col M.B. Ravindranath launched an all-out assault, but was slowed down by the difficult terrain and use of automatic weapons by Pakistani intruders.
The Indian Army recaptured the Knoll first, followed by Lone Hill and finally, Three Pimples on 29 June.
The intruders had fortified Lone Hill using MMGs, but they were no match for Captain N. Kenguruse, a commander of the Ghatak Platoon, who scaled the feature barefoot and killed four intruders. He, however, was severely wounded and succumbed to injuries sustained in the assault.
TIGER HILL
After the recapture of Point 4700 and Three Pimples, the Indian Army set out to reclaim the majestic Tiger Hill, situated at a height of 16,500 feet and barely 10 km from the Srinagar-Leh highway.
Brigadier M.P.S. Bajwa, commander of the 192 Mountain Brigade, assigned this mission to 18 Grenadiers and 8 Sikh. These units were assisted by a crack team from the Indian Army’s High Altitude Warfare School, along with artillery, engineering and combat support.
Given the expanse of Tiger Hill, which is 2,200 m from west to east and about 1,000 m north to south, it was decided to launch a multidirectional assault, aided by Bofors 155mm howitzers.
Prior to the assault, the Indian Air Force struck the intruders on Tiger Hill on 2-3 July. According to Gen Malik’s book, all of Tiger Hill was under the hold of Pakistan’s 12 Northern Light Infantry.
On 3 July, 18 Grenadiers commenced the assault and began moving forward despite inclement weather and darkness. However, their advance was slowed down by heavy enemy fire from three separate directions.
Led by Captain Sachin Nimbalkar, one company went on to secure a point barely 100 m from the peak, while manoeuvring an immensely steep terrain and firefighting. The Ghatak Platoon led by Lieutenant Balwan Singh secured another point located only 30 m from the peak.
Shielded by artillery bombardment, both companies then proceeded towards the peak, catching the enemy by surprise.
While the troops were at the hilltop, shelling from both sides continued, claiming the lives of Indian and Pakistani soldiers.
But, in order to recapture all of Tiger Hill, it was necessary to cut Pakistani intruders’ supply lines. The task fell to the 8 Sikh battalion, which achieved its objective on 5 July. After securing the feature completely, 18 Grenadiers hoisted the tricolour atop Tiger Hill on 8 July.
Grenadier Yogendra Singh Yadav of the Ghatak Platoon was among those caught in enemy fire during this battle, along with the team commander and two personnel. Despite having suffered severe injuries on his left arm and right leg, Yadav moved towards the intruders’ sangar and lobbed grenades inside it, while also firing from his rifle.
He killed four intruders and crippled their automatic firing capability, before destroying another sangar.
POINT 4875
After the recapture of Tiger Hill, the 1999 Kargil conflict entered its final phase centred around the Mushkoh Valley. While there were many contentious points here, securing Point 4875 was seen as a ‘high-priority mission’ since top and forward posts on the feature overlooked a nearly 30-km stretch of the national highway.
The 79 Mountain Brigade led by Brigadier Ramesh Kakar was tasked with securing Point 4875.
Preparations began on 1 July and were followed by the final assault three days later, aided by field guns, mortars and rocket launchers.
Two different companies approached the Flat Top of Point 4875 from different directions. They were assisted by MMGs located at the fire support base under the command of Captain Vikram Batra.
Captain Batra later neutralised five enemy combatants in hand-to-hand combat and was awarded the Param Vir Chakra posthumously.
Both companies came under fire from Pakistani intruders using MMGs, but they held their positions as forward companies pounded the enemy with artillery fire for several hours. During this time, Fagot missiles were also used to target enemy sangars.
It was as a result of this coordinated action that the companies were finally able to secure Flat Top on 5 July — a mission which seemed almost ‘militarily impossible’ at one point.
Riflemen Sanjay Kumar and Shyam Singh played key roles in the operation.
KHALUBAR
There were several contested points in the Batalik sector, just as in Dras and Mushkoh Valley. Of these, the battle for Khalubar is the most talked-about.
The 12 JAK carried out an operation to secure Point 4812 as a precursor to the assault on Khalubar.
Ultimately, 22 Grenadiers mounted the assault on Khalubar with assistance from Vikas battalions and expert mountaineers, which included personnel of Tibetan origin. The 1/11 Gorkha Rifles was also inducted into the sector.
The brigade artillery comprised the Bofors, which were used to target enemy sangars and disrupt their communication and supply lines. Lieutenant Manoj Kumar Pandey played a key role in the capture of area bunkers, one of the positions occupied by the enemy near Khalubar.
This facilitated the recapture of Khalubar by the 1/11 Gorkha and 22 Grenadiers on 6 July.
As it approached the final objective, after a difficult climb that took several hours, Lt Pandey’s platoon came under heavy enemy fire.
But, that did not deter the platoon which managed to clear the sangars.
Lt Pandey himself charged at the enemy and in the face of a barrage of enemy fire, destroyed two sangars. Though gravely injured, he went on to secure two more sangars.
CHORBAT LA
A company of the Ladakh Scouts led by Major Sonam Wangchuk was tasked with reclaiming Chorbat La, another crucial feature in the Batalik sector.
During the operation, some personnel were lifted using a Cheetah helicopter and deployed directly along the ridgeline, allowing them to preempt the enemy. Forward companies were involved in close encounters with the enemy, and in the process also managed to occupy steep positions at altitudes as high as 15,500 feet.
By 2 June, the Chorbat La ridgeline had been ‘adequately secured’. It enabled India to interdict enemy supply routes and administrative bases.
And by 9 July, nearly all of the Batalik sector had been secured. The 70 Infantry Brigade commanded by Brig Devinder Singh played a major role in this operation.
After the recapture of the Batalik sector, battles were also fought between Indian troops and Pakistani intruders in Haneef Sub-Sector and Kaksar Sector.
Military operations concluded on 26 July with Indian troops capturing eight Pakistani soldiers and recovering from them a large cache of arms, ammunition and documents.
Edited by Amrtansh Arora
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