The Indian government has increased the security cover for Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, over a potential threat to his life.
The federal home minister on Thursday provided Z-category armed protection – one of the highest security covers – to the Dalai Lama based on a threat assessment report by India's Intelligence Bureau, news agency PTI reported.
The 89-year-old spiritual leader will now have a security team of 33 personnel, including static guards stationed at his residence in Himachal Pradesh state's Dharamshala. He will have round-the-clock protection, trained drivers, surveillance personnel, and commandos forming an armed escort in shifts.
Prior to this, the Dalai Lama had only a small protection cover in Himachal Pradesh, which was increased during his travels to New Delhi or any other place outside the state.
The Dalai Lama made the hillside town of Dharamshala his headquarters since fleeing Tibet after a failed uprising against Chinese rule in 1959. Representatives of a Tibetan government-in-exile also reside there. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
The Dalai Lama formally relinquished his political and administrative powers in 2011 and handed his political responsibilities to the community’s elected leadership. But he has remained the spiritual leader of the Tibetan community.
His followers see him as capable of uniting and mobilising Tibetans inside and outside China.
Over 100,000 Tibetan refugees live in India, Nepal and Bhutan, according to Tibetan organisations. Their number in India is estimated at around 85,000, while many have also moved to countries such as the US, Canada, Germany and Switzerland.
China castigates the Dalai Lama as an advocate for Tibetan independence and has not had direct contact with his representatives for more than a decade.
The Dalai Lama says he merely advocates for Tibet’s substantial autonomy and protection of its native Buddhist culture.
