Candlelight vigils, relay hunger strike and mass gathering announced to register affront being felt by Sikkimese on speculative reporting hounding Karmapa

KARMAPA RECEPTION COMMITTEE AND JAC CONDEMN MEDIA ASPERSIONS BEING CAST ON KARMAPA’S CREDENTIALS

GANGTOK, 31 Jan:

A meeting of the Karmapa Reception Committee [KRC], a united body of Sikkim monks lobbying to bring the XVIIth Karmapa Ogyen Trinley Dorje to Sikkim, and the Joint Action Committee [formed for the same purpose] have strongly condemned news-reports [proliferating the Indian mainstream media] portraying Ogyen Trinley Dorje as a Chinese agent.

The meeting, held here on Monday afternoon, was attended by the members of both, the KRC and the JAC, along with a host of devotees and monks. Following long discussions on various issues which are being thrown up in the wake of raids at Gyuto Monastery at Sidhbari near Dharamsala [where the Karmapa has been hosted for the past decade], the group resolved to strongly condemn such speculative reportage and have decided to strong measures to register their condemnation.

As a first measure, the meeting decided to participate in a candlelight vigil to be held at the Titanic Park in Gangtok on Monday evening. This vigil began as an impromptu gesture of support for the Karmapa following growing chatter on the social media and is now growing larger.

The meeting has also resolved to begin a relay hunger strike from Tuesday at the Titanic Park [provided permission is granted for the venue, failing which an alternate site will be picked], to register the sentiments.

Meanwhile, a mass meeting was also announced for 05 February at the Old Guards Ground at Tathangchen to discuss the situation and seek public endorsement for the condemnation of “offensively speculative” reporting which is hounding the Karmapa at present.

Speakers at the meeting also reiterated that as far as the ‘confusion’ over who the ‘genuine’ Karmapa reincarnation was, that chapter is closed “because as far as a majority of the people are concerned, Ogyen Trinley Dorjee is the XVIIth Karmapa”.

Today’s meeting appointed Thukchuk Lachungpa and KT Bhutia as the Spokespersons to speak with the media on the upcoming agendas and programmes of the group. 

[SAGAR CHHETRI]