Jehangir Ali

India's Indo-Tibetan Border Police is seeking a specialized high-altitude rescue team to recover the body believed to be Dorje Morup, an Indian climber who died on Everest in 1996. Known as “Green Boots,” the frozen body has remained at about 8,500 meters on the mountain's Chinese side for three decades. The operation, funded by the ITBP, is expected to be extremely dangerous and costly because of the steep terrain, thin air, unpredictable weather and lack of helicopter evacuation infrastructure. If recovered by September, the remains will undergo DNA testing before being returned to Morup's family for a funeral in Ladakh.

Indian officials believe that the body known as “Green Boots,” which has remained near the summit of Mount Everest for about 30 years, is most likely that of Dorje Morup rather than the climber traditionally identified as Tsewang Paljor. Morup died during a 1996 Indian expedition from the Tibetan side of Everest, along with two fellow climbers, after a severe snowstorm. The Indo-Tibetan Border Police is seeking a specialist high-altitude recovery team and hopes to bring the remains down before September 2026. The operation, at roughly 8,500 meters in the death zone, could cost $40,000–$80,000 and require a large Sherpa team, fixed ropes and extensive logistical support. Morup's family, who held funeral rites without his body and have never had definitive confirmation of his death, hopes the recovery will provide closure and allow him to receive a formal funeral and recognition as a fallen serviceman.