Kargil War Hero, Captain Akhilesh Saxena, Recounts His Days During Operation Vijay

In February 1999 when the then Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was planning to roll out the historic bus service to Lahore, back in Pakistan, his counterpart Nawaz Sharif was being taken for a ride by his army chief General Pervez Musharraf. A treacherous plan was in the works.

Even before the ink on the Lahore Declaration had dried, Islamabad’s deceitful ploy had started revealing itself on the heights of Kargil along the Line of Control. General Musharraf may not have accepted that the heavily armed intruders were Pakistani soldiers, but the war had already begun for India.

In May 1999, India launched Operation Vijay to recapture the posts in the Kargil sector from the Pakistan Army.

Captain Akhilesh Saxena was posted in Kargil just weeks after he got married. But nothing could deter this brave captain, who was an artillery officer attached with the 2 Rajputana Rifles during the Kargil war. Captain Akhilesh Saxena and his men successfully went about recapturing Tololing, The Hump and Three Pimples heights.

During the war, Captain Akhilesh got injured by the enemy bullets and was admitted at the base hospital, Delhi Cantt for around one year.

As the nation celebrates the Kargil Vijay Diwas on July 26, Captain Akhilesh Saxena, who is a living example of sheer grit, passion, determination and commitment, recounts his days on the battlefield in this exclusive conversation with Asianet Newsable.