Guwahati: When the Indo-Tibetan Border Police’s (ITBP) first-ever all-women team made history by summiting Mount Everest on May 21, it was a proud moment for Assam, too, as Rupamoni Gorh became the state’s first woman to conquer the world’s highest peak.Rupamoni was also the first among the 11 team members to set foot on Everest.Rupamoni, 26, from Nagaon Pothar village in Lakhimpur district, joined the ITBP in 2020 as a constable and is currently posted in Haryana, where she took up mountaineering.“It is a matter of immense pride for the family and Assam. I thank her for achieving this for the family and the state,” her father Joysingh Gorh, a farmer, told TOI. Rupmoni’s mother, Kamalawati, is an Anganwadi assistant.“She called us soon after reaching the medical camp after the team climbed down. She said except some issues with her toes, she and her team members were fine,” Joysingh said.The expedition was led by ITBP deputy commandant Bhanita Timungpi, a member of the Assam Mountaineering Association and a resident of Guwahati, and was organized under the aegis of the MHA’s “Nari Shakti Bandan” program.In a post on X, the ITBP said, “ITBP’s first-ever All-Women Expedition summited Mount Everest (8,848 m) via the South Col Route on 21 May 2026. With the first summit at 0652 hrs, all 11 women climbers reached the top. Proud moment for India.”Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma posted on X, “Assam’s daughter has reached the top of the world. Heartiest congratulations to Rupamoni Gorh for becoming the first woman from Assam to scale Mount Everest…Her historic feat is a moment of immense pride for Assam and an inspiration for our youth to dream big and conquer new heights.”The Assam Mountaineering Association called it “historic moments to cheer” and congratulated both Assam women “for their outstanding achievements and making us proud forever.”
