On the eve of the 22nd anniversary of Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, the Indian Army’s heroes who perished in 1999 but ensured India’s victory over Pakistan are celebrated.
Capt. Naveen Nagappa, a Kargil War Veteran narrated his story on Humans of Bombay. He was bravely pulled out of the jaws of death by Captain Vikram Batra when a hand grenade dropped near him, having his life flashed before his eyes & the final prayer on his lips.
God, please keep my face intact so my family can look at me one last time.
Momentarily, he wasn’t sure if he was dead, alive or hallucinating. He couldn’t move as his legs were severely injured.
It was Captain Vikram Batra who then came to his rescue and started a counter attack. Pulling him out of the bunker, he started to fire at the enemy! He said
Anna, you must go down. You must get treated. I’ll sort these buggers out!
Capt. Nagappa crawled around 150 metres using his elbows to the nearest boulder. He sat behind it and saw the state of his legs.
My feet were burnt & my shoes were filled with blood. I felt like my limbs were about to fall off.
Two jawans came running towards him & picked him up like a ‘gunny bag’. They carried him and ran from boulder to boulder. The Pakistani’s kept on shooting & Capt. Nagappa could see bullets piercing the ice right next to him. He got back to the base by evening and was put into the ‘Dangerously ill’ list.
Next day, despite being admitted to the hospital in Srinagar, he was burning with curiosity to know the status-quo along the borders.
A nurse was sitting beside me & as we were passing Point 4875, she said, ‘Sir, look! Our flag is waving on the peak!’ Despite my state, I got up & saluted the flag.
He thought, “In accomplishing this mission, our troops have left behind a legacy!” But then, the nurse told him, “Sir, iss jeet ke liye, ek bohot badi keemat chukani padi.”