Security agencies are searching for a Chinese woman on the suspicion that she is spying on the Dalai Lama during his travel in Bihar's Bodh Gaya.
The Superintendent of Gaya Police has said, "Input has come that a Chinese woman is living in Gaya. We were getting inputs for last 2 years. Searches are underway. At present, the Chinese woman has not been located, due to which many suspicious points are being raised. Suspicion of being a Chinese spy can't be ruled out."
"Police are very much active a sketch (of a suspected woman) has been released pertaining to the safety issues. I'm looking into the situation in Gaya. Officials are taking inputs from locals. We assure you that Dalai Lama's security will be maintained," the Bihar Agriculture minister said.
Security has been beefed up around the Mahabodhi Temple Complex with the screening of devotees being intensified, the official said.
The Dalai Lama addressed a gathering here in the morning.
Bodh Gaya came alive on Thursday with the presence of the Dalai Lama who began his public discourses in the tiny, but world-renowned pilgrim town in Bihar, an annual affair that had been suspended for the past couple of years because of the pandemic.
The Kalchakra Maidan, where the spiritual leader will offer his discourses for the next couple of days, followed by a long life offering ceremony on New Year's Day when lamas will pray for the longevity of the nonagenarian, was jampacked with devotees of all hues, unfazed by the threat of a resurgence of coronavirus.
The Nobel Peace Prize winner, who has been putting up at the Tibetan monastery since his arrival here on December 22, reached the venue in a battery-operated vehicle as the audience sat in rapt attention, taking in the solemn prayers blaring through loudspeakers.
The charismatic religious leader, who counts among his followers many celebrities, walked with shuffled steps and with a noticeable slouch in his posture though his famous broad smile was evidently unaffected by the age-induced fragility.
The Kalchakra Maidan was rocked by a low-intensity blast a few years ago, carried out by a Bangladesh-based outfit that sought to avenge atrocities on Rohingyas in Myanmar by targeting the congregation here which attracts many pilgrims and lay devotees from the neighbouring country.
The administration was in a tizzy over "preliminary reports" of the presence of a "Chinese national", a woman, in the pilgrim town, triggering concerns of the safety of the Tibetan leader.
"We have some preliminary information about this Chinese woman whose sketches we have released. But there is nothing concrete as of now. Security is very tight in the area around the Mahabodhi temple where the frisking is intensive and the number of CCTV cameras has also been raised," said Harpreet Kaur, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Gaya district.
(With inputs from PTI)