Controversial Karmapa’s security cut down by HP govt
His security has been scaled down from about 20 to 5 guards
SHIMLA : Himachal Pradesh government has scaled down the security of Ogyen Trinley Dorje, the ‘controversial’ parallel head of Kagyu, one of the four main schools of Tibetan Buddhism. Ogyen is tallest Buddhist leader next to Tenzin Gyatso–14th Dalai Lama.
Dorje has lived under watchful eyes of Indian agencies in Dharamshala since he escaped from Tsurphu monastery in Chinacontrolled Tibet in 1999, and sought audience with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader–dalai Lama. Dorje resided in transit accommodation in Gyuoto Tantric monastery in Dharamshala. “About 15–20 cops guarded his residence. Now we have scaled it down to five cops,” said a high ranking police official requesting anonymity.
Two years ago, 33-year-old Buddhist leader left India for Europe on a three-month visa. During his stay abroad, he obtained the citizenship of the Dominican Republic. The Dharamshala-based Tibetan government in exile has constantly been persuading the monk to return to Dharamshala. While in United States, too, the Indian government constantly engaged with him but the monk delayed his return.
The Indian government has been upset with the way the monk acquired Dominican citizenship and did not inform the government about his new passport, even as there were reports of Karmapa indicating his return to India. The Indian government’s only condition was that he could not return to India on the residential certificate issued to Tibetan refugees, but by applying for visa under the consulate.
Ogyen Trinley Dorje is revered by lakhs of followers but always shadowed by controversy. When he was just 14, Ogyen hit headlines in 1999, after he escaped from China-controlled Tibetan autonomous region. Dorje’s escape took Indian intelligence agencies by surprise. Dorje claimed that he, along with his attendants and elder sister Nodup Palzom, had travelled 1,450 km on horseback, train and helicopter to reach Dharamsala. Since the time of his escape, the government has clamped restrictions on his movements. Dorje currently resides at the tightly guarded Gyuoto Tantric monastery that again hit headlines in 2011, when sleuths recovered more than Rs 6.5 crore (in foreign currency), which included 12 lakh Chinese Yuan stacked inside cupboards of the monastery .
The cash recovered during raids belonged to the Karmae Garchen Trust headed by the Karmapa. Police arrested a cashier of the Trust Rabgay Chosang.
WHY IS HE CONTROVERSIAL?
Dorje was recognised the head of Karma Kagyu School of Buddhism, by Tibet’s exiled temporal head the 14th Dalai Lama Tenzin Gyatso. Dorje is followed by a majority of Tibetan population and other Buddhist devotees.
The other claimant to the seat is Delhi-based Karmapa Trinley Thaye Dorje, who was recognised by Shamar Rinpoche as an incarnation of 16th Karmapa Ranguan Rigpe Dorje. The Indian government has banned the 17th Karmapa from visiting Rumtek Monastery considered the real seat of Karmapa lineage in India. In 2015, he was allowed to travel to Arunachal Pradesh but was not allowed to visit Rumtek, following his escape from Tibet in 1999, and the controversy over the real reincarnation of the 16th Karmapa. Intelligence agencies are apprehensive that Beijing anointed him to serve its long ulterior motives to change the mindset of Buddhist population in India to favour China.