Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja accused of sexual misconduct
Purja's lawyers have denied these allegations.
KATHMANDU: Renowned mountaineer Nirmal Purja faces serious allegations of sexual misconduct.
Former Miss Finland, Lotta Hintsa, has accused Purja of sexually assaulting her during a stay in Kathmandu on March 30, 2023.
In an interview with The New York Times, Hintsa described the incident that occurred in a hotel room. She had also alluded to an unpleasant encounter with a famous mountaineer in her memoir “The Mountains of My Life-2,” published in December, without naming Purja but mentioning an unwanted kiss by the individual.
The New York Times report, published on Friday, revealed that the individual in question is indeed Nirmal Purja, also known as Nims. Dai.
Hintsa elaborated on what transpired in the hotel room, stating that instead of having coffee in the lobby, Purja took her to his room where he tried to force himself on her. When she resisted, Purja allegedly sat beside her and masturbated.
Previously, Dr. April Leonardo from California also accused Purja of forcibly kissing her multiple times without her consent while guiding her during an expedition to K2, the world’s second-highest peak.
Purja’s lawyers have denied these allegations.
Additionally, Alison Levine, who led the first all-female American team to Everest in 2002, recounted facing verbal abuse and threats from a guide during an expedition.
The team had to turn back midway due to weather conditions. She later returned to Nepal and successfully summited Everest in 2020.
Nirmal Purja is a record-breaking mountaineer and a former British Gurkha soldier known for his extraordinary achievement of summiting all 14 of the world’s 8,000-meter peaks in under seven months (189 days).
