The four-member inquiry team that comprises the wife of deceased climber Sajal Khaled and his brother-in-law has returned from Kathmandu with a summit certificate and a medal from the Nepalese government which is first of its kind for Bangladeshi mountaineers.
The team went to Nepal in September 4 to explore the reasons and issues surrounding the death of the Everest-climber and retrieve his belongings.
Addressing a press conference in the city on Monday, Sajal’s wife Tahmina Khan Shaily demanded formulation of a policy for the mountaineers so that this misfortune would not happen to anyone else. She also requested all to lend their hands in getting the fact behind Sajal’s death.
Shahjahan Mridha Benu, vice-president of Mountaineering and Trekking Club; Shamsul Alam Babu, an expert on mountaineering; and Nasir Khan Shaket, Sajal’s brother-in-law, were also present at the programme.
While talking to the Dhaka Tribune she said: “We received a police report which provides confusing information. The original report, which was written in Nepalese language, says Sajal died as he ‘slipped’ from the Everest while the English version says he was ‘flown away’ by the air.”
Mohammed Sajal Hossain, popularly known as Sajal Khaled, 35, died in May while descending from the Everest, a few hours after he successfully climbed it as the fifth Bangladeshi. His body is said to be lying somewhere on the South Summit, about 28,750 feet above the sea-level.
The inquiry team also thanked Bangladesh government for its assistance in proceeding with the matter swiftly. The government had hired a Sherpa team for $20,000 to recover the body. The team failed to do that and even claimed to have seen no body at all. However, one member of the team later confessed (to some other mountaineers) to having seen one.
Shaily claimed that Sajal’s belongings – two bags, camera, laptop, memory card, video camera and currency were not found. His passport and the agreement paper were not found too, even though the agreement document was supposed to be with the Seventh Summit Agency.
It has been learnt that the agency had an agreement with Sajal which was carried out by Himalayan Guide. Moreover, Sajal took the assistance of Pemba Dorje Sherpa (Pem Dorjee) and two other Sherpas.
Allegations say the Sherpa associates had “abandoned” him in a death zone, although they were given large sums of money to help him on his descent from the Everest.
On top of that, Lakpa Nuru Sherpa, one of the 10 Sherpas, dispatched a message to Sajal’s wife through another Sherpa named Som Bahadur. Lakpa Nuru said Sajal’s body had been left nearby the South Summit Balcony, and that Pem Dorje was responsible for the death of Sajal.
Shahjahan Mridha told the Dhaka Tribune: “Mismanagement and negligence of the Nepal authorities are behind Sajal’s death.”
He claimed that there was a “mafia” to handle all this matter.
Sajal hailed from Srinagar area of Munshiganj and was the youngest of six siblings. Besides the Everest, he had climbed the Mera Peak and Chulu West. He directed a children’s movie called “Kajoler Dinratri,” which was released in last Eid-ul-Fitr.