BSF women team scales Mount Everest; sings 'Vande Mataram'

An all-women Border Security Force mountaineering team created history by successfully scaling Mount Everest and singing 'Vande Mataram' from the world's highest peak.

An all-women Border Security Force (BSF) mountaineering team created a record by scaling the Mount Everest on Thursday and sang ''Vande Mataram'' from the world's highest peak, a spokesperson of the border-guarding force said.

The team comprised Constables Kouser Fatima from Ladakh, Munmun Ghosh from West Bengal, Rabeka Singh from Uttarakhand and Tsering Chorol from Kargil.

The women successfully summited Mount Everest at 8 am (IST) on Thursday, the Border Security Force (BSF) spokesperson said.

The mountaineers also sang the national song, ''Vande Mataram'', from the summit of the world's highest peak, thus creating a moment of profound national pride, the spokesperson added.

''The expedition is also a tribute to the timeless legacy of Vande Mataram, a song that continues to inspire generations of Indians in their service to the nation,'' a statement issued by the BSF said.

BSF Director General (DG) Praveen Kumar spoke to the women personnel through a radio link and congratulated them.

The mountaineers were flagged off from Delhi on April 6 for their maiden expedition.

Both the events -- the first-ever women's expedition to the 8,848.86-metre peak and the rendition of the national song -- hold significance and were planned to commemorate the BSF's diamond jubilee year and the 150th anniversary of ''Vande Mataram'' in 2026.

The about-2.7-lakh-personnel-strong BSF was raised in 1965. It is primarily tasked with guarding India's borders with Pakistan and Bangladesh, apart from rendering a variety of roles in the country's internal-security domain.