Submitted summit picture of Tarakeshwari Rathod

Did they fudge on Everest? Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod were celebrated in their home country for being the first Indian couple who, on 23 May, had summited Mount Everest. Now there is considerable doubt that the two 30-year-olds really reached the highest point. The summit picture of Tarakeshwari Rathod that the two Indians submitted to the Nepalese Tourism Ministry to receive their Everest certificated, obviously turned out to be a forgery. Apparently by using an image editing software, the face of the Indian woman was copied to the summit picture of her compatriot Satyarup Siddhanta.

“So so so amazing!”

Summit picture of Satyarup Siddhanta

Siddhanta had reached the summit on 21 May. The 33-year-old accused the Rathod couple of having manipulated another of his pictures to document that both had reached the summit. The two climbers on this photos were he himself and Malya Mukherjee, Siddhanta wrote on Facebook: “This is so so so amazing! They took my pics and photoshopped their image of summit. And got certificates too. Where is mountaineering going?”

No complaints

Mount Everest

Gyanendra Shrestha from Nepal Tourism Ministry told the newspaper “The Himalayan Times” that the Everest certificates had been issued to the Rathod couple on 10 June after verifying the documents and summit photos. The official acknowledged that it was difficult to see whether summit pictures were manipulated or not. But the department had not received any complaints against these climbers. The Nepalese Operators Makalu Adventure Treks, who had organized the expedition of the Indian couple, indicated that nothing was wrong with the photos. In addition, they said, the Sherpas Furba and Fursemba, who had assisted the Indians to summit, had also claimed that they had been on the top on 23 May.

Again Pune

The police of the western Indian city of Pune, for which both Dinesh and Tarakeshwari Rathod have been working for the past ten years, has announced an investigation. The couple declined to comment on the allegations. They said, they had submitted all details to the authorities, including the certificates of the Nepalese Tourism Ministry.

Even after the 2012 Everest season, there had been allegations that summit photos had been forged. At the time, were accused: two climbers from Pune. Those who blackened them: climbers belonging to another group from Pune. Back then, the Nepalese Ministry of Tourism, after having examined the allegations, saw no reason to refuse the summit certificiates.