The police, Enforcement Directorate and tax officials have questioned Ogyen Trinley Dorje, Tibetan Budhism’s third most important leader and 17th reincarnate in the centuries-old succession of the Karmapa Lama and spiritual lead of the powerful Karma Kagyu sect.
Meanwhile, Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama defended the Karmapa. Talking to reporters in Bengaluru, he denied that there could be a Chinese link to the activities of the Karmapa. But he added that the foreign and Indian currency should have been deposited in a bank and not kept in cash at the monastery.
Officials conducted sustained interrogation sessions inside Sidhbari’s (Dharamsala) Gyuto Tantrik Temple quizzing the Karmapa on the source of what has now added up to nearly `7 crores in unaccounted Indian and foreign currencies as well as his allegedly “continuing” links with Chinese authorities.
Trinley Dorje has himself been confined to his top floor residence at the monastery to make way for the police and revenue officials. Though senior police officials insisted the restrictions were “minimal” and did not amount to “house arrest”, the Karmapa was missing from Saturday morning’s prayers as well as his keenly awaited daily audience with devotees.
Himachal Pradesh’s director general police D.S. Manhas said his men are tracking the huge sums of money seized from the Gyuto temple, which has been the Karmapa’s home ever since he fled his monastery outside Lhasa and showed up at the Dalai Lama’s headquarters-in-exile on January 5, 2000. The recovered cash is in about 25 international currencies, including neatly stacked bundles of Chinese Yuan worth `11 lakhs.
“The amount of money found is very large. We will certainly look into every angle of what could be the source, and what was the purpose. Links with China is one of the many aspects being looked at,” Mr Manhas said, significantly adding that Karmapa’s interrogation was not over and he could be questioned further.
Notably, the young monk’s older sister, who is also said to be the closest to him, was questioned by the police on Friday. The police also raided and searched the home of the Karmapa’s private secretary Gompo Tsering following which a room inside the Gyuto monastery was sealed.