New Delhi: Authorities in Nepal are investigating the case of two Indian mountaineers who allegedly faked their Mount Everest summit in 2016. The duo — Narender Singh Yadav and Seema Rani Goswami — were part of a 15-member international team managed by the Seven Summit Treks in Nepal.
Yadav’s name was also in the list of awardees for the prestigious Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award by the Indian government last year. But his name was withheld following claims by some veteran mountaineers that the images posted by him were doctored.
“We formed an investigative committee two months ago. A report will soon be presented. We have not taken any decision yet and will be able to comment only when the report is out,” Pradip Kumar Koirala, a Nepal tourism official, told ThePrint over phone.
According to a leading Nepal daily, however, the Nepalese government has already banned the two mountaineers for 10 years and cancelled their certificates. A report in The New York Times Monday also reported that Nepalese authorities are seeking to ban the two mountaineers for 10 years. The report also said the mountaineers had doctored images showing they had made it to the summit.
Yadav, 26, however, told ThePrint that he was not aware of any action taken against him and has received no official communication from the Nepal authorities. Yadav also said he suffered from frostbite after descending from the summit and was hospitalised, which is why his certificate was collected by his team leader, Naba Kumar Phukon.
“However, Phukon took my memory card and photoshopped the images. I have all the proof and if the Nepal government cancels my certificate, I will release all evidence to the media,” Yadav said.
Goswami could not be contacted by ThePrint.
Secretary of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), Col S.P. Malik, told ThePrint that he was not aware of the investigation. “The proof of climbing comes under the jurisdiction of the Nepal government and they only verify the authenticity of the summit. We only see the certificates issued by the Nepalese government to check if someone has climbed the peak and take them as authentic,” Malik said.
A photograph or video of the summit, along with details of the climb, is necessary as proof to claim the certificate of summit, a senior mountaineer from India, told ThePrint, on the condition of anonymity.
However, in case of damage to cameras, batteries or a backup device, the sherpa guide who accompanies a climber testifies for the summit. “But these days some mountaineers bribe sherpas or show photoshopped images to show they have climbed the Everest,” the mountaineer added.
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Yadav was among 5 selected for Tenzing Norgay award
The controversy surrounding Yadav and Goswami emerged after the announcement of the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award in August last year. Yadav was among five persons selected for the award.
Many veteran mountaineers soon took to social media platforms to claim that images shown by Yadav had been morphed. The matter escalated after Jamling Norgay, son of Tenzing Norgay — one among the first two people to climb the Everest — requested the Indian Mountaineering Federation to raise the issue with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs in India.
The sports ministry then initiated an investigation, following which Yadav’s name was withheld from the list of awardees for the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award.
Team leader Phukon has claimed that both Yadav and Goswami’s health had rapidly deteriorated during the climb. He said the duo were rescued from a height of 8,400 metre and the sherpa guides helped them safely descend to the Everest Base Camp.
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