CISF officer Geeta Samota scales Mount Everest, becomes first from force to stand on world’s highest peak

In a monumental feat of human endurance, Lady Sub-Inspector Geeta Samota of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) has successfully scaled Mount Everest, the world’s highest peak at 8,849 metres, the Central Armed Police Force said on Tuesday.

It was on Monday, Geeta stood on the “roof of the world,” a triumphant moment symbolising not just a personal victory, but the incredible resilience and strength fostered within the CISF and the nation.

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She is the first woman officer of the force to climb the Everest, while her historic achievement is the culmination of a journey that began in the humble surroundings of Chak village in Rajasthan’s Sikar district, fuelled by a desire to break barriers and inspire.

During her life as a growing child, she often heard tales of boys’ accomplishments, but noticed a void in stories celebrating girls’ achievements, an observation that ignited a quiet determination within her to make her own mark.

Geeta always had a penchant for sports and was a promising hockey player in college, but an injury came as a setback, forcing her to step away from the team, but the same also unknowingly steered her towards a different kind of field.

Back in 2011, she joined the CISF, where she discovered that mountaineering was a less-trodden path, with the CAPF not having a dedicated mountaineering team at that time, while she astutely recognised this as an opportunity.

She went on to complete an advanced mountaineering course in 2017, becoming the sole CISF personnel to achieve this distinction.

In the year 2019, she became the first woman from any CAPF to scale Mount Satopanth (7,075 meters) in Uttarakhand and Mount Lobuche (6,119 meters) in Nepal.

Samota, between 2021 and early 2022, had successfully scaled four formidable peaks, including  Mount Kosciuszko (2,228 mtrs) in Australia, Mount Elbrus (5,642 mtrs) in Russia, Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 mtrs) in Tanzania, and Mount Aconcagua (6,961 mtrs) in Argentina.

Adding to her accolades, Geeta also became the first and fastest woman to climb five peaks in Ladakh’s Rupshu region in just three days, including three peaks over 6,000 metres and two over 5,000 metres.

Samota has not only conquered mountains but has also shattered gender stereotypes, proving that women can excel in the most demanding fields.

In her message to young girls and women, she says they need to dream big, work hard, and never give up.

Furthering her accomplishment, CISF also plans to send a full mountaineering team to scale Mount Everest in 2026.