Police halted the march to the Rumtek monastery by the third claimant to the title of the 17th Karmapa, Dawa Uangpo Dorjee, to avert any law-and-order problem at the religious place. The post, lying vacant since 1981, has two other claimants. A large contingent of police personnel led by East District Superintendent of Police, Akshay Sachdeva, along with the District Magistrate V. B. Pathak, blocked over 50 vehicles of the convoy of Dorjee, about 10 km ahead of the monastery. “Since the police did not grant permission to march towards Rumtek, this procession is totally illegal,” Sachdeva told the delegation after stopping the entourage. Dorjee, dressed in maroon and yellow robe with beads and a golden watch hanging from his left hand, argued they should be permitted to go to the monastery, the headquarters of the Karma Kagyu sect of Buddhism, to undergo the test to prove his authenticity. “I can wait till the other two come here,” he said.
     
| Sikkam | North East Enquirer (Headlines) | Nena Home Page |