One Tibetan attacked, rest locked up in houses in south India

Minutes before Tibetan youth Tenzin Dargyal, 22, was attacked, two assailants did a recce of the area and thrust a dagger into his abdomen.

Though shocked and bleeding, the youth walked some 60ft and informed people at an eatery frequented by Tibetans before collapsing. He was rushed to Krishnarajendra Hospital and the weapon removed from his body 45 minutes after the attack.

The narrow stretch that connects Devaraja Mohalla to Dhanwantri Road is frequented by Tibetans who live Bylakuppe and Gurupura camps.

Reconstructing the incident, police said two bike-borne youths circled the area and stood outside a lodge opposite the eatery. As the youth walked to the main road at 6.45pm, they followed and stabbed him and fled to Dhanwantri Road and escaped.

Within minutes, the police control room vehicle, the mobile unit of the control room, rushed to the spot. When they shifted the youth to the hospital, he held on to the weapon.

Police are baffled why the assailants attacked the youth in the city centre. Though the stretch is narrow, it is crowded and well lit too.

Police suspect the victim was picked at random since he was walking alone. This rules out the personal enmity angle, sources said. Cops have sent teams to Bylakuppe to try and get more information about the youth.

The youth has been in Mysore for two days, helping two Tibetan monks from Mundgod near Hubli. The monks were outpatients at a hospital here. Preliminary investigation revealed that he arrived at Bylakuppe in 2000 and attended a school at the camp. He was staying with a friend at the camp.

Fear prevails in community

Mysore: A day after the attack on a Tibetan youth, Tibetan students and employees in Mysore are under tremendous stress. Some of them have returned to Tibetan settlements in Bylakuppe and Gurupura in Mysore district while some have sought police protection. Working Tibetans, especially nurses, have taken leave and uncertain about continuing work for some time.

Community leaders have alerted people to be watchful. Tibetans suspect the attack could be because of misleading posts on social media networks about the situation in Assam and Burma. Tibetans who spoke to TOI requested not too many details about them be revealed.

Tibetan parliament-in-exile member Lobsang Yeshi expressed shock over the attack and suspected it's an act of people with ulterior motives and those misled by wrong information. "It's perhaps the first such attack on Tibetans in India. We're worried about the safety of our people," Yeshi said.

Tibetan camp leaders sent a communique to all Tibetans in Mysore regions to take precautions and be careful.
Tensing Pasang, a research scholar, said he didn't expect it to happen to Tibetans who have been living amicably here for six decades. "When I heard about the incident, I alerted all Tibetan students and employees especially nursing professionals."

A college has announced five days leave to Tibetan students and another has asked its students to go in groups.
Another Tibetan student Lobsang Tsering claimed such incidents will obviously make feel any community members insecure. "Students living in different areas of Mysore are afraid of going out. Police have extended security at their places but many have left for Tibetan settlements," he added.


Security tightened at Bylakuppe

Security has been tightened at Bylakuppe, the first Tibetan settlement camp in Karnataka, and at Gurupur, both in Mysore district following the attack.

Cops have collected details of Tibetans living in Mysore and posted cops at four areas where they are concentrated as a precautionary measure. Police chief KL Sudheer met Tibetan leaders too.

Around 3,000 Tibetans settled in early 1960s at Bylakuppe. Now, it has 20,000 Tibetans with the place being a window to their traditional way of life, their monasteries and places of worship. The majestic Golden Temple at Bylakuppe is a tourist spot.

Located 90km from the city, the settlement is a pioneer rehabilitation project. Each family was allotted three acres. Thanks to support from the Karnataka government, former CMs S Nijalingappa and D Devaraj Urs in particular, the undivided Mysore district became home. Gurupura settlement came up near Hunsur in 1971 and Odeyarapalya settlement in Kollegal in Chamarajnagar district spread over 3,000 acres was established in 1974.




NOTE-- Initially published on Times of India, the story filed by Aravind/Milton/Cleared by Naheed


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3 comments:

  1. The exile Tibetan administration has expressed concerns over the misuse of photographs showing Tibetans to provoke conflict between the Buddhist and Muslim communities.

    Following reports of recent clashes between Buddhists and Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, certain sections of the media as well as social websites have portrayed photographs involving Tibetans to misinform the public and to lead a hate campaign----for more, read www.phayul.com

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  2. The Dalai Lama has condemned the ethnic violence in Assam, adding that people in India must practice religious harmony and tread the path of non-violence-- for more, read http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/2012/08/13/313-Dalai-Lama-condemns-ethnic-violence-in-Assam-says-corruption-is-negative-karma.html

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  3. This is a sad news. Dhanvantri road used to be our meet up place, hang out, chit chat, street food what not... As stated in the news, this could be just a random incident and hope it is just that and nothing beyond. To be alert is a thing for consideration and to politicize is ugly version of it.

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