Sub-Inspector, Geeta Samota has become the first CISF personnel to conquer the world’s largest peak, Mount Everest. The sub-inspector made history as she was the first person in the 56 years of the force to climb and make it to the summit. Geeta, according to reports, summited the 8,849 m tall mountain on May 19, 2025.
While the entire country is proud of the sub-inspector, not many know that this was not her first roundabout with the mountains. So, let us take a look at her journey from being a hockey player to joining the paramilitary and summiting one peak after the other. And low and behold, because Geeta Samota is not done yet.
Geeta Samota becomes the first CISF personnel to conquer Mount Everest
Geeta Samota is a 35-year-old subordinate officer in the paramilitary forces. She joined the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in 2011 and is currently posted at the Udaipur airport unit. She climbed the highest peak in the world on May 19, 2025, and is already looking forward to exploring further next year in 2026. A spokesperson on May 20, 2025, informed the country about Geeta’s marvellous conquer and stated:
“Geeta stood on the ‘roof of the world’, a triumphant moment symbolising not just a personal victory, but the incredible resilience and strength fostered within the CISF and the Indian nation.”
Geeta Samota was a hockey player before joining the CISF
Geeta Samota hails from the Chak village in Sikar district of Rajasthan. She was raised in a traditional family in a house that had five daughters, including her. During her college years, she played for her local college. However, she had to quit the sport due to an injury to her leg. While her hockey dream slipped from between her fingers, it pushed her towards CISF. Upon joining the force, she found out that the CISF didn’t have a mountaineering team and saw this as a sporting and adventure opportunity.
Geeta Samota’s journey as a mountaineer
Geeta Samota went on to take specialised training in mountaineering, and soon after, in 2019, she became the first woman from any Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) to scale Mount Satopanth. For the unversed, the mountain is reported to be 7,075 meters in Uttarakhand and 6,119 meters in Nepal, where it is referred to as Mount Lobuche. It was in 2021 when Geeta was chosen to be a part of the CAPF contingent for a Mount Everest expedition. Unfortunately, it was called off due to technical reasons.
Nonetheless, that did not deter Geeta Samota. Instead, she set an ambitious goal to conquer the “Seven Summits” challenge. For the unversed, the seven summit challenge involves climbing the highest peak on each of the seven continents. Geeta successfully climbed four of these formidable peaks between 2021 and 2022. She hiked her way to the top of the 2,228 m tall Mount Kosciuszko in Australia. Followed by the 5,642 m tall Mount Elbrus in Russia, Mount Kilimanjaro, which is 5,895 m, located in Tanzania and Mount Aconcagua, with a height of 6,961 m in Argentina.
It was later reported by the CISF official that Geeta Samota achieved this win in an astonishing six months and twenty-seven days, making her the fastest Indian woman to do so. The spokesperson also revealed that Geeta became the first and the fastest woman to climb five peaks in Ladakh’s Rupshu region. She did so in just three days, and these expeditions included three peaks over 6,000 m and two over 5,000 m.
What Sub-Inspector, Geeta Samota has achieved is truly impeccable. Let us know what you think about her expeditions.
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