Nepali mountaineer Nirmal Purja fighting tooth and nail for justice

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.

The person with whom he was talking on the walkie talkie in reply was saying that someone had cut the ropes but he had no idea who did it and for what reason.

There is a pile of problems in the mountaineering sector. That is why, Nirmal Purja posts the challenges and problems he saw in the mountaineering sector on social media openly.

Recently, he posted a video where he says that someone had cut the ropes needed to climb the 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 DoT 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 DoT said in a statement signed by Kali Bahadur Bhujel, Director and Spokesperson at the department.

The Department 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 has already furnished clarification at the Department over the same.

According to the prevailing law, it was his mistake to make such a video from Mount Everest and post it on social media without taking permission from the government’s concerned authority.

It has been proved that the ropes were cut. But Purja should not have posted on social media by making such a video.

However, what he said in the video came out to be true, a department source informed.

It would be too early to say what kind of punishment Nirmal Purja had to face in this case.

But this incident has brought to light the uncomfortable fact in the mountaineering sector.

This could be a conspiracy to tarnish the image of the Nirmal Purja’s company, which made Qatar’s princess ascend the roof of the world.

Nirmal 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.

Purja, who likes to stay away from Nepali media and from the people in the state power, has now been caught up in the syndicate of mountaineering business.

At a time when Nirmal Purja has been embroiled in controversy in the scam of cutting ropes, the story about him in the New York Times brought him into more controversy. Former Miss Finland Lotta Hintsa and Dr April Leonardo have accused Purja of sexually abusing them while climbing the mountain.

Purja, however, has already started a legal process against the New York Times for making news based on allegations.

He said that he had refused the proposal of cooperation from the Finnish woman, who accused him of sexually abusing her, after he could not climb the mountain above 8, 000 meters.

Purja has accused Lotta Hintsa of spreading propaganda against him to sell her book published five years ago.

The woman, who made an unproven allegation against Purja after five years and did not go through any kind of legal and administrative process, has raised doubts over her intention.

Meanwhile, three persons lost their lives when a fire broke out at the office of Elite Adventure Pvt Ltd in the house of Tanka Ghising in Kapan on September 21, 2022. Nims was in Mt Manaslu when the incident occurred.

Properties worth around Rs 10 million were destroyed in the fire. On top of that, three youths died in the tragic incident.

The persons, who were against him, tried to take this opportunity to take revenge against Purja for breaking the syndicate of mountaineering business.

Purja promised to look after the families of three youths killed in the incident and construct a new house for Tankalal Ghising.

According to a prevailing law, though there is no provision to construct a house of a person destroyed in the fire, Purja promised to build a new house to avoid legal hassles.

But Ghising, who was in constant touch with Purja’s opponents, started adding conditions one after another.

Purja said he would move ahead as per the law after Ghising asked Rs 600 million.  The Ward Office and Judicial Committee also showed the house owner’s fault. Ghising then moves the court.

The High Court also delivered the verdict in favor of Purja.

Initially, Ghising had said that there was no house insurance. That is why, Purja had vowed to construct his house. Later, it was found that the house had an insurance policy and he had already taken the insurance money.

Then, he lost the case.

But the house owner warned that he would hoist a black flag to Purja’s mountaineering team at the airport if he did not pay Rs 600 million.

Purja said that he would not speak in public as he is fighting a legal battle and waiting for the Nepal government’s appropriate decision.

“There is a dangerous syndicate in this sector. I chose the mountaineering sector by leaving the job of British Army to serve for the country. People have started becoming jealous when the VIPs from different countries come to climb the mountains through my company,” he said, adding, “I don’t know why people were hell bent on finishing me off when I was working for my country.”

Another reason behind Nims being fallen into prey at the national and international level is also connected with the stone of Mt Everest.

A watch company of Germany had offered Purja to brand the watch made of Everest stone. He rejected the offer of Kobold watch saying that the stone of Everest should not be commercialized. Then Michael Kobold started hatching a conspiracy against him.

Purja has now been fighting a case against Kobold at the international court.

Nims spend 11 out of 12 months in the mountains. He has not been able to decide whether to spend the remaining one month with his family or to fight against his  conspirators.

Purja said that he had some hope that he would get justice from the government.

Meanwhile, he said that he is saddened by the remarks made by lawmaker Rajendra Bajagain, also a tourism entrepreneur, against him in the sovereign Parliament recently.

“I have an old relationship with lawmaker Rajendra Bajagain. I have a good relationship with him as he is also a tourism entrepreneur. Sometime ago, he offered a business proposal. He asked me to send my clients to his new hotel. He spoke against me at the Parliament as I refused his proposal,” he said.

Nims is a record holder mountaineer and an ex British army.

He has successfully climbed all 14 mountains in the world above 8, 000 meters above sea level in less than seven months.

Nirmal Purja is the fifth Nepalis to climb all these mountains and the first among non-Sherpa Nepalis.

Purja, who served in the British Army for 16 years, trekked to Everest Base Camp for the first time in December 2012.

He set foot on the world’s highest peaks for 44 times and set dozens of records in 12 years.

Furthermore, Purja’s mother Purna Kumari was sick at home in Nepal. On the other hand, Nirmal Puja took out 65,000 pounds from the mortgage of his house in the UK and went to climb the mountains.

He managed to climb all the 14 mountains in six months and six days.

After his success, Purja wrote a book called ‘Beyond Possible’, which was sold all over the world.

He even made a Netflix documentary called ‘Nothing is Impossible’, which went viral worldwide.

Purja’s life was not as easy as we thought.

Purja, who was born in Dana Village of Myagdi, was diagnosed with TV at the age of 10. He had applied for the British Army in 2002 but to no avail.

He passed the exams of the British Army only in 2003.

Purja suffered from lung problem ‘Hep’ when he reached the Himalayan region while climbing Mt Everest in 2016.

Purja, who came to Nepal from the UK on four-week leave, did not lose courage and climbed Everest at last.

Born in Dana Village of Myagdi on July 24, 1986, migrated to Ramnagar, Chitwan when he was four years old.