Two Indian climbers, a man and a woman, and their team leader have been slapped with a six-year ban by the Nepal government for faking their ascent of Mount Everest in 2016.
The Nepalese tourism department certified Narender Singh Yadav and Seema Rani Goswami’s climb at the time but rescinded this when Yadav was nominated for an award and could not provide convincing evidence to back up his claim, according to BBC News.
Yadav was nominated for the Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020, which led other climbers to question the pair’s apparent achievement.
The Nepalese tourism ministry said an investigation involving other climbers found that Yadav and Goswami ‘never reached the summit’ and that they were unable to produce reliable photographs or other evidence.
‘In our investigations, we found that they had submitted fake documents [including photographs],’ said an official from Nepal’s tourism and culture ministry, according to The Indian Express.
‘Based on the documents and conversation with the officials concerned, including sherpas, we reached this conclusion.’
The six-year ban applies to Yadav, Goswami and their team leader Naba Kumar Phukon and starts retrospectively, in 2016. The pair’s Everest summit certification has been revoked.
Reaching the summit of the 8,848,86-metre mountain is the crowning glory for mountaineers and adventurers across the world. Many of the people who accomplish the grueling task go on to achieve remarkable success in other aspects of their lives.
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Picture: Getaway Gallery
