February 7, 2021, turned out to be a tragic day for India after a glacial burst caused flash floods and mass devastation in Uttarakhand. Almost a week later, the authorities are still working on a rescue operation to recover bodies and save as many people as possible. During this dark and grim time, if there’s anyone who has stood out as a beacon of hope, it is Indian Police Services officer Aparna Kumar, DIG, Indian Police, Sector HQ, ITBP, Chamoli. Leading the rescue operations in Uttarakhand, DIG Kumar is setting an example for all.

We are proud of @ITBP_official DIG Aparna Kumar IPS who is leading the rescue operations in Uttarakhand. https://t.co/Hxfm801vNo

— IPS Association (@IPS_Association) February 9, 2021

An NLSIU Bangalore graduate (1999), Aparna Kumar went on to join the Indian Police Services in 2002. In 2014, she added another feather to her cap after scaling Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania and Carstensz Pyramid Peak in Indonesia which is the highest peak in the Australia and Oceania region. The next year, she took a step further towards scaling the peaks of Mount Elbrus and Mount Aconcagua in Argentina. In 2016, she went on to add Mount Everest to her list of achievements. In 2019, DIG Kumar then became the first IPS officer to ace the Seven Summit challenge by scaling Mt Denali.

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If that’s not enough, DIG Kumar was also the first female IPS DIG and ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police) officer to complete the South Pole expedition. In 2019, she received the Tenzing Norgay National Adventure Award from President Ramnath Kovind for her mountaineering achievements.

A proud moment for our police forces as Ms Aparna Kumar becomes the first female IPS officer to scale Mount Everest. pic.twitter.com/rPqaTF8cOs

— Rajnath Singh (@rajnathsingh) May 21, 2016

DIG Aparna Kumar did an advanced mountaineering course in 2014 and joined the ITBP in 2018 on deputation. During the rescue operations in Tapovan, DIG Kumar, her colleagues say, has been camping in the Tapovan-Joshimath area and leads various multi-agency meetings held close to ground zero.

With more and more women joining the forces and leading from the front, we hope to see more stories like that of DIG Aparna Kumar in the future.