Mountaineer establishes Rescue Network to protect Indian soldiers

Hemant Sachdev founded Tiranga Mountain Rescue (TMR) in 2016 to provide specialized mountain rescue services for Indian soldiers stationed in high-altitude regions.

Sachdev decided to start the organization after surviving a near-fatal fall into a crevasse on Mount Everest in 2013 and witnessing a deadly avalanche in Siachen that killed 10 soldiers in 2016. TMR operates 16 specialized rescue teams across regions such as Siachen, Kargil, Tawang, and Gurez.

The organization employs 48 full-time professional rescuers, including former High Altitude Warfare School instructors and ex-servicemen. These teams assess more than 200 military posts every year to study geographical risks, weather conditions, and travel routes. TMR also provides training to more than 20,000 Army personnel on how to survive in mountains and respond to emergencies. The organization's collaboration with the Indian Army has led to a measurable decrease in fatalities.

TMR reports that avalanche-related casualties in its covered regions dropped from 38 in 2017 to nearly zero during the 2023 to 24 period. The group's work includes rapid response operations, such as locating missing soldiers in Tawang and Kashmir, and providing disaster relief during floods and landslides in Uttarakhand, Manipur, Sikkim, and Wayanad. The Indian Army Headquarters formalized an agreement with TMR in September 2024.