Nirmal Purja acquitted on rope-cutting case on Everest

KATHMANDU: Famous mountaineer Nirmal Purja, popularly known as Nimsdai, has got clean chit in the rope-cutting case that surfaced during the last climbing season on Everest.

The government carried out an investigation after he made public the information and video of the conversation on social media that an unknown person had cut the ropes fixed for the climbing team below the summit of Everest.

Based on the statement, clarification and evidence given by Purja, the Department of Tourism said that his intention was not to damage the reputation of Everest.

On August 6, 2024, the Department had directed Purja to take permission from the Department while sharing the information pertaining to climbing in the future.

With this, the efforts made by some individuals and businesspersons to ban Purja from mountain climbing in Nepal have failed.

Meanwhile, he has thanked the Nepali government for conducting an investigation on the rope-cutting case on Mount Everest.

“I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the Government of Nepal for its firm commitment to the truth and the protection of our mountain communities. The government has supported the efforts of me and my fellow climbers to ensure safe and transparent climbing in the context of the Everest rope cutting incident,” he said, adding, “I have been provided a formal letter after investigating the incident. I would like to thank all the fellow climbers who supported me in this case. I am extremely grateful to Sanu Sherpa, who has climbed 14 peaks twice.”

A famous Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja in the third week of May posted a video on his social media, in which he was saying that someone cut the ropes fixed for the climbing team below the summit of Mt Everest.

In the video, we can hear that Angbabu Sherpa, a tourism entrepreneur, through his walkie talkie was saying that someone had cut the ropes between the balcony of Everest and the South Col and was forced to return without collecting the bodies his team was assigned to from there.

Soon after the video was posted on social media, the Department of Tourism on May 27 issued a statement saying that the video posted by Nirmal Purja on social media claiming that the ropes below the summit were cut to bar him from reaching the top of the world was false. It has also started investigating the issue by forming a committee.

After his video went viral, his other competitors in the Department of Tourism mounted pressure on him.

The Department even warned Nirmal Purja by issuing a statement overnight.

The Department had said that there was no problem with the ropes on Everest and expressed concern over statements defaming Nepal’s mountaineering tourism.

“We want to inform all stakeholders concerned that there is no problem at all in rope fixing and the Everest expedition for the spring season has come to an end. Further, we want to request all climbers to complete their ascent with full confidence,” the Department had said in a statement signed by Kali Bahadur Bhujel, Director and Spokesperson at the department.

The Department had also appealed to the media not to disseminate and follow misinformation but rely on official information circulated by the Expedition Monitoring and Facilitation Field Office, Department of Tourism, and liaison officers.

Purja, who got involved in the mountaineering sector after he climbed Mt Everest in 2019, gained massive international popularity in the mountaineering business in the five years. Later, many envy his happiness and success.