Sumit Das, a young mountaineer from West Bengal who aspired to put his life on the line for the nation by joining he Indian army, is now capable only of running his small photostat-xerox shop in Ilampur village of Pandua in Hooghly since he can neither hold anything in his hands or walk properly.
After a catastrophic incident while descending the Shrikailash Peak in 2018 as part of a 10-man expedition, Das lost all his digits in the hands and feet to frostbite. But, it was not an accident, he alleges.
The loss of limbs happened due to the negligence of and corruption in the state’s Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, claims Das, accusing the department of providing substandard gear and equipment.
“The TMC government whose negligence led to my current condition never stood by me. It did not even ensure that I receive the insurance compensation I am entitled to. I appeal to the new Sports Minister Nisith Pramanik that, at least, this government give me the help I need and helps me get my claims so I can live a dignified life,” Das told The Statesman.
Belonging to a poor family, Das is barely getting by. His father sells vegetables to support the family that includes an elderly mother too.
What happened to Sumit and how
Sumit received mountaineering training at the Himalayan Mountaineering Institute in Darjeeling.
In 2018, via an advertisement published by the then West Bengal Department of Sports and Youth Welfare, he applied to participate in a government-sponsored mountaineering expedition.
Following examinations and interviews, he was selected by the Mountaineering Committee operating under the Department of Sports and Youth Welfare headed by then minister Arup Biswas. Initially, Sumit and nine other climbers were supposed to attempt Sudarshan Peak.
Later, however, they were informed that the plan had changed for unknown reasons. Instead of Sudarshan, they would attempt Shrikailash Peak, a much more challenging expedition during September-October due to adverse weather conditions.
Speaking to The Statesman, Sumit said: “The equipment provided to us by the government for conquering the 21,000-foot peak—tents, sleeping bags, boots, gloves, and other gear—turned out to be of poor quality. We realised this only after the expedition had begun. Given the harsh weather and difficult terrain, we needed way better equipment, but we were not given that.”
Despite numerous obstacles, Sumit and four other climbers scaled the summit. Along with team leader Partha Dutta, Niraj Jaiswal, Shubhankar Dutta, and Shankar Biswas, Sumit was overwhelmed with pride and joy.
However, while the achievement temporarily got the better of their exhaustion and suffering, they soon realised that the substandard equipment had failed to protect their fingers and toes from the extreme cold. Blood circulation had stopped, and their digits became hard as stone.
Recalling the ordeal, Sumit said: “We neither had oxygen cylinders nor walkie-talkies. Even though a doctor was supposed to accompany us, none was present. Because of inadequate and poor-quality equipment, the expedition took much longer than expected. After reaching the summit, we realised we had developed frostbite.”
Frostbite is a condition caused by extreme cold. At temperatures of minus 10 to minus 15 degrees Celsius, blood circulation in body parts such as fingers, toes, lips, and nose can freeze, causing the tissue to harden.
“After descending the mountain, we requested medicines, but none were sent. We didn’t even have the money to buy them ourselves. After returning to Kolkata, we were taken to Sagar Dutta Medical College. However, only preliminary treatment was provided before we were discharged. By then, there was no sensation left in my fingers and toes. They had turned black and hard like stone due to clotting of blood,” Das added.
“When we were in the hospital, Debdas Nandi, the Chief Adviser of the Sports Department’s Mountaineering Committee, was present. It was in his presence that we were given basic treatment and discharged. About a month later, he came to my house, handed me ₹2,000 in cash, and recorded a video,” Das claimed.
On the other hand, Debdas Nandi refused to comment when contacted. “I do not have permission to comment on this matter. Without approval from the Youth Welfare Department, I cannot say a single word.”
However, Shyamal Sarkar, Joint Secretary of Parbat Abhiyatri Sangha, the club to which Das is affiliated, told The Statesman, “After Sumit was discharged, we admitted him first to SSKM Hospital and later to a private hospital. By then it was too late. Since proper treatment had not been administered in time, doctors advised amputating all the fingers and toes on his hands and feet. They told us there was no other option. If the amputations had not been performed, the damage could have spread further and caused even more severe health complications.”
Shyamal also alleged that the Sports Department did not bear the expenses of either the surgery or the subsequent treatment.
Das further claims that he was never paid the ₹5.5 lakh insurance compensation he was entitled to receive for such grievous injury.
“After I had recovered somewhat, I visited the Sports and Youth Welfare Department to inquire about my insurance. I was told that a fire had broken out in the Mountaineering Committee office and all the insurance documents had been destroyed. Therefore, not a single rupee could be paid,” Das said.
With no other way in sight, Das filed a case against the insurance company in the district consumer court.
Initially, the Hooghly District Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission ruled in Das’s favor and directed the insurance company to pay up. However, when the insurer moved the State Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission, where the case remains pending.
Today, Sumit continues his struggle for survival without fingers or toes.
Expert-Speak
Everest summiteer Piyali Basak blames the TMC government for Das’s losses.
“Had the Sports Department provided proper equipment, Sumit would not have suffered such devastating injuries. How is this young man supposed to spend the rest of his life without all his fingers and toes?” Basak alleged.
Basak has, in fact, her own story about the previous government’s handling of youth and sports affairs.
“According to government rules, I was entitled to receive ₹7.5 lakh from the state government for summiting the world’s highest peak. When I approached Arup Biswas about the unpaid amount, security personnel allegedly escorted me out of his office. That is why I have appealed to the new Sports Minister. No one can imagine the extent of corruption that took place in relation to mountaineers under the previous administration.”
The Statesman spoke to renowned mountaineer Nischay Attri, founder of ‘Move Outdoors’, an Associate Member of the Indian Mountaineering Foundation (IMF), a mountain rescue operative, and a veteran of 27 Himalayan expeditions.
According to Attri, the allegation that inadequate equipment can increase the risk of frostbite is scientifically and practically valid. However, he cautions that catastrophic frostbite is rarely the consequence of a single failure.
“Cold injury is dose-dependent: a function of temperature, time, wind and moisture. Bad gear pushes every one of those variables against you. But inadequate gear rarely acts alone; it combines with time and decision-making to produce real injury,” he said.
Explaining the role of equipment, Attri noted that properly insulated boots, gloves, sleeping bags, and layered clothing are essential for survival at high altitude. Substandard gear reduces a climber’s thermal protection and narrows the margin for safety.
He further emphasised that prolonged exposure caused by logistical failures can dramatically worsen the situation.
“Time is the multiplier in every cold injury. Logistical failure that keeps people exposed longer is one of the most dangerous things that can happen on a mountain,” he said.
Importantly, while commenting on Das’s allegations, Attri stopped short of assigning blame for an expedition he did not witness. Instead, he observed that if equipment supplied to climbers was genuinely substandard, it would constitute a serious failure.
“The equipment allegation deserves to be taken seriously, not waved away. If the gear provided was genuinely substandard, that is a real link in the chain, and the body that provided it is responsible for that link,” he said.
He added that the loss of all fingers and toes is generally indicative of multiple failures occurring together.
“An outcome as total as the loss of all fingers and toes is rarely explained by gear alone; magnitude like that usually points to prolonged exposure, delayed rewarming and evacuation, and a competence gap, stacked together,” he explained.
Attri also drew a distinction between determining responsibility for the incident and the issue of insurance compensation. According to him, even if the causes of the tragedy remain disputed, any insurance payment legitimately owed to the climber should not be contingent on the debate over fault.
“An owed insurance payout is a contractual obligation and should be honoured. A young man who has lost his fingers and toes deserves what he was promised, and that should never be held hostage to a debate over fault,” he said.
Meanwhile, years after the expedition, Das now runs a small photocopy shop to support his family. The son of a vegetable vendor, he says he intends to appeal to West Bengal’s current Sports Minister for the insurance compensation he claims is due, hoping to use the money to start a small business and rebuild his life.
“Even if I had received the ₹5.5 lakh insurance money, I could have started a small business and rebuilt my life to some extent. If the current government can at least help me obtain that money now, it would be a great relief. I want to submit a letter to the new Sports Minister with this appeal.”