Aparna Kumar is an Indian mountaineer and a serving officer of the Indian Police Service (IPS). She is known for completing the Seven Summits, the challenge of climbing the highest mountain on each of the seven continents, and for her expeditions to the geographic poles. She is among a small group of Indian women to have achieved these milestones, and the first woman officer of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) cadre to do so.
| Name | Aparna Kumar |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Mountaineer; IPS officer |
| Cadre | Uttar Pradesh cadre, Indian Police Service |
| Service deputation | Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) |
| Known for | Seven Summits; expeditions to the North Pole and South Pole |
| Nationality | Indian |
Aparna Kumar joined the Indian Police Service through the civil services examination and was allotted to the Uttar Pradesh cadre. She took up high-altitude mountaineering in her thirties, balancing it with her duties as a police officer. During parts of her climbing career she has served on deputation with the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, a central armed police force tasked with guarding the Himalayan frontier and known for its mountaineering tradition.
Kumar progressively climbed the highest peaks of each continent as part of the Seven Summits challenge. Her ascents include:
In addition to the Seven Summits, she has skied to both the South Pole and the North Pole, completing what is sometimes referred to as the Explorers Grand Slam.
Kumar's expeditions have been highlighted as an example of women's participation in Indian high-altitude mountaineering and in the uniformed services. As a serving police officer who has represented the ITBP on major climbs, she is part of a wider effort by Indian central armed police forces to build adventure-sports profiles alongside their operational mandate in border areas.