Police in Bihar’s Gaya has sounded an alert and launched a manhunt to nab a Chinese woman on the suspicion of espionage, and stepped up the security cover for Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama, who is on a one-month visit to the Buddhist temple town of Bodhgaya.
Police officials suspect Song Xiaolan could be carrying out a recce on the movement and activities of the Dalai Lama in Bodhgaya. In the morning, the Bihar Police released a sketch of the Chinese woman, seeking information about her location.
Living in exile in India, the Tibetan religious leader is on a one-month-long visit to Bodhgaya, where he will impart religious teaching to his followers from India and abroad for three days.
After receiving the input, the Gaya Police swiftly swung into action and launched searches in hotels and monasteries in the town to trace the Chinese woman who is overstaying her Indian visa.
“According to the input received by us, she is overstaying her visa. We are verifying the input. We are taking the help of the hotel association and checking monasteries,” said Gaya senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harpreet Kaur.
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The police officer said that adequate security at Mahabodhi Temple, the monastery where the Dalai Lama is putting up, is “our top priority”. “Tight security arrangements have been put in place. Every visitor is allowed entry based on an identity card issued to them. Frisking is also being done,” she said.
SSP Kaur also informed that the police have increased the number of CCTV cameras at the Mahabodhi Temple and other crucial Buddhist installations.
Speaking to The New Indian, Gaya range inspector general (IG) of police MR Naik said, “The Dalai Lama is a Z+ protectee. Therefore, security arrangements have been made for him accordingly.”
The Bihar Police has deployed around 100 police personnel and stationed 12 DSP-rank police officers to the security of the Dalai Lama and his followers in Bodhgaya. The spiritual guru enjoys a three-layered security cover in India. Special Tibetan commandos form the inner layer of the security cover, paramilitary forces guards are stationed in the mid layer, and the state police has the responsibility of securing the periphery.
Nearly 50,000 devotees from India and abroad are expected to listen to the Dalai Lama’s three-day teachings at Kalachakra Teaching Ground in Bodhgaya from December 29 to December 31.
The event has already stoked controversy as 11 foreign devotees roamed around in Bodhgaya after testing positive at the Gaya airport. While one of them went missing, another reached Delhi by the time his RT-PCR test result came.
It sparked fears that these foreign tourists might have ended up infecting more people who came in contact with them, which could result in an explosion of Covid cases in the entire state.