Just before leaving, Batra along with the 25 men of D Coy who were to accompany him, prayed at the Durga Mata temple. It was pitch black night when they began the climb. Having heard a wireless message from the base that Batra was coming, a cheer went up among the tired Indian soldiers on top. The commander ordered them to hold their ground until Batra arrived and then he would take over. "The Pakistanis too intercepted the wireless message where the base told the peak that Batra was coming. They knew Batra, the first man on top of Peak 5140 in Dras, and broke into the Indian wireless system to threaten him. Undeterred, Batra kept climbing," said a soldier who accompanied him.