rediff.com: Karmapa devotees refuse to cooperate with RBI

Followers of the 17th Karmapa claimant Urgyen Thinley Dorjee have decided to prevent a Reserve Bank of India official from entering Rumtek monastery to make a court ordered inventory of its fabulous wealth, a monastery spokesman told reporters in Rumtek on Saturday.

"We will oppose the RBI official tooth and nail if he tries to come here as the very order of the court hurts our sentiments and religious belief," the spokesman said.

RBI regional director, Kolkata, Vinod Kumar Sharma was urged to postpone his May 13 visit to the monastery, the headquarters of the Karma Kagyu sect of Buddhism, on account of religious ceremonies beginning there on Sunday.

As the government has to maintain law and order in the monastery, the official's visit may disturb the situation, he said.

Government officials, when contacted said security would be provided to the RBI official when sought as directed by the court. It was, however, immediately not known when he would visit the monastery.

A Sikkim court had asked the RBI official to make a quantitative inventory of the monastery by April 29 and had later extended the deadline by another seven weeks.

Sharma had visited Sikkim in the first week of April to discuss the procedural formalities of making the inventory.

Although he did not go to Rumtek monastery, followers had gathered to obstruct him, monastery sources said.

Buddhists in Sikkim, especially the followers of Dorjee, have termed the court order as 'sacrilege' saying the religious articles cannot be touched by a 'non-Buddhist'.



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