Mount Khangchendzonga Ascent Controversy

On May 18, a team from the National Institute of Mountaineering and Adventure Sports (NIMAS) scaled Mt Khangchendzonga from the Nepal side, leading to protests by civil society groups and Sikkim Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang. While Sikkim's native population holds the mountain sacred and prohibits scaling it from the Indian side, Nepal has no such restrictions.

Spiritual and Ecological Significance of Mountains

• Mountains are vital sources of water and are vulnerable to climate change.
• Indigenous knowledge has supported sustainable coexistence with mountain ecosystems for centuries.
• Respecting indigenous beliefs helps build resilient societies and address historical injustice.

Scientific and Military Interests

There is a need to understand mountains from a scientific and military perspective, but this often creates tension with indigenous rights.

• Work on the Thirty-Meter Telescope in Hawaii was stalled by protests.
• Similar opposition faced by the India-based Neutrino Observatory (INO).

Progress in Indigenous Rights

Civil society initiatives and legal instruments like the UNDRIP and ILO convention 169 are strengthening indigenous rights.

• Sikkim's notifications under the Places of Worship Act, 1991, protect Mt Khangchendzonga.
• Consultation with indigenous peoples is increasingly seen as preferable to litigation.

International Examples

• North Korea, China, and the U.K. jointly studied the Paektu mountain for volcanic activity predictions.
• Bhutan banned mountaineering over 6,000 meters after protests.

NIMAS Expedition Insights

The NIMAS expedition was part of the 'Har Shikhar Tiranga' campaign to plant the Indian flag on each state's highest point, indirectly supporting India's national pride and war rhetoric. The ascent from the Nepal side undermined the indigenous struggle for recognition. ```