PASIGHAT, SEP 17:

A 12-member mountaineering team of the Indian Army’s 2 JAT Battalion (Mooltan) successfully scaled 6,889-metre Mt Khangchengyao in North Sikkim on September 15.

Led by Major Vatti Chandra Kumar, the team reached the summit at 10:28 am and unfurled the National Tricolour and the JAT Regiment Colour, marking another milestone in the battalion’s mountaineering legacy.

The expedition commenced from Rayang in Arunachal Pradesh on August 17. The team underwent systematic acclimatisation at Lachung, Thangu and Giagoan before embarking on the summit attempt. The climbers negotiated rugged terrain, steep slopes, glaciers, extreme cold and low oxygen levels during the ascent.

The successful expedition demonstrated the team’s physical endurance, mental resilience and spirit of teamwork in challenging high-altitude conditions.

The achievement adds to the rich mountaineering tradition of 2 JAT Battalion, whose mountaineers have earlier scaled several Himalayan peaks, including Mt Jago Kangri (6,550 m) in the Siachen Glacier region, Mt Bandarpunch (6,316 m), Mt Satopanth (7,075 m) and Mt Jogin-I (6,465 m).

The successful ascent of Mt Khangchengyao further underlines the battalion’s continued commitment to adventure and high-altitude mountaineering.