Sikkim's Sacred Summit: The Clash Over Mt. Kangchenjunga

The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) urges intervention to halt a joint Indo-Nepal Army expedition to Mt. Kangchenjunga, a peak of cultural and spiritual significance. The protected status under the 1991 Act and Sikkim's government ban on expeditions highlight potential ecological and cultural repercussions.

The Sikkim Bhutia Lepcha Apex Committee (SIBLAC) has called upon Governor OP Mathur to intervene urgently to prevent an Army-backed expedition up Mt. Kangchenjunga, underscoring the mountain's critical religious and cultural importance.

With Mt. Kangchenjunga being deeply revered by Sikkim's indigenous Bhutia and Lepcha communities, SIBLAC cites its protection under the Places of Worship (Special Provisions) Act, 1991, which bans expeditions to the peak. The Sikkim government further confirmed this prohibition in 2001, maintaining the sacred status of the mountain.

Despite these protections, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has given the go-ahead for a joint Indo-Nepal expedition involving 18 army officers to climb the world's third-highest peak. SIBLAC fears that such moves could endanger both the spiritual sanctity of the site and the fragile Himalayan environment, citing past environmental disasters and potential divine repercussions.

(With inputs from agencies.)