Aparna Kumar becomes first woman IPS, ITBP officer to trek South Pole

Aparna Kumar has become the first woman Indian Police Service (IPS) and ITBP officer to successfully conquer the South Pole, the southernmost point on the globe situated in Antarctica.

Kumar, a 2002-batch officer of the Uttar Pradesh cadre, Tuesday called on Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba. She described the challenges she faced in her six-year career of professional mountaineering.

"The trek to the South Pole was very challenging, tough and amidst very, very cold climate. With this success, I have scaled prominent peaks in six continents and I'm looking forward to the seventh, which is Mt Dinali in North America, this year," Kumar, 44, told reporters during an interaction.

The South Pole is the coldest and driest place on Earth. The temperature there ranges from minus 37 degrees to minus 48 degrees and hence it makes the trek arduous and challenging.

The IPS officer, who has two young children, finished her South Pole trek in eight days on January 13 during which she and seven other members of her team walked 111 miles.

The officer, who joined the mountain warfare trained border guarding force Indo-Tibetan Border Police last year on deputation, had her first brush with mountaineering when she was commanding a Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC) battalion in Uttar Pradesh few years back.

"I did my advance mountaineering course in July, 2014 and since then there has been no looking back," Kumar, posted as a Deputy Inspector General (DIG) with the ITBP, said.

The ITBP is primarily tasked with guarding the 3,488-km icy and high altitude Indian border with China.

The officer, who hails from Karnataka, is now aiming to set her foot on the North Pole in April, to mark the feat of conquering both the poles.