UT sub-inspector city’s first cop to scale Mount Everest

“We are proud of him. I was always sure that my husband has some special qualities and he has proved it by becoming the first police officer from Chandigarh to scale the world’s highest peak,” said Mudgal’s wife Swati. Swati was injured along with her son in a road accident after Mudgal left for the expedition last month.

“But we never told him about the accident,” said Swati said. A confident-looking Mudgal,originally a resident of village Jassia Rohtak,said that he had planned to scale Mount Everest in 2009 after paying obeisance at Kailaih Manasarovar. “And in 2010 I met Mamta Sodha of Haryana,who had scaled the highest peak,and I sought her guidance about the expedition. And later with the full support of my family,I decided to scale the Everest,” he said.

In April this year Mudgal,who was posted as in-charge of police post 49,applied for leave and told his senior about his plans. “All my senior,including the IGP,wished me best of luck and I reached Kathmandu on April 4 for the forward journey,” he recalled. On April 11 Mudgal reached the base camp,at a height of 5,400 m,where the trekkers are acclimatised about the harsh and windy weather.

“But at the base camp I had a severe cough and I was advised to go back to Kathmandu for treatment. And I decided to return back to Kathmandu where I was treated for a week,” he said.

The Sub-Inspector,however,did not loose heart but when he informed his family back home about his returning back to Kathmandu,his mother-in-law insisted that he come back.

“But my wife gave me a lot of encouragement to scale the highest peak. And after a week’s rest,I reached the base camp again on April 29. After staying there for three days,my three other companions – two Canadians and an Australian – left for camp I and we reached camp II on May 7. The weather was worsening. There were winds and the temperature was really chilling . Two of my companions could not move forward and returned back,” he said.

“But we kept moving ahead and after reaching camp III and camp IV,on May 14 at 7.25 am,I was finally on top of the world highest peek. I hoisted the tricolour and the Chandigarh Police flag at Everest. For a few minutes I felt I was the tallest man in the world. It was a dream come true,” said the SI.

After returning to the base camp,he first called his wife to give her the news. And simultaneously he sent a text message to the IGP,DIG and SSP of Chandigarh telling them that he had scaled the Everest.

“Respected Sir,this is SI Chiranji Lal Mudgal summitting mount Everest,” he wrote in the message to his officer,who promptly greeted him. Mudgal reached the city on Friday and was given a warm welcome at the railway station and later at home.