Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Apr 17: Leh and Kargil towns of the Ladakh Union Territory observed a shutdown today in support of His Holiness Dalai Lama.
Led by the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA), the protesters condemned the conspiracy to defame the Dalai Lama and extended support to him, requesting him to continue spreading peace, love and compassion.
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All the shops and business establishments remained closed and traffic was off the roads in Leh and Kargil districts in protests against defaming the Dalai Lama by making a video viral on social media and comments made by various celebrities hurting religious feelings of Buddhists.
Hundreds of people took out protest rallies in Leh and Kargil. They carried placards, religious flags amid pictures of spiritual leaders in protest against attempts to defame him. They raised slogans against those involved in it.
“Entire Leh and Kargil districts of Ladakh observed shutdown. The people came on streets to protest against the attempt to defame Dalai Lama. We are hurt over it,” a social leader S Samphel told reporters here.
However, no untoward incident was reported from any part of the Union Territory during the bandh which was complete and peaceful.
Police had made elaborate security arrangements but the protesters remained peaceful.
Massive procession were taken out in different parts of the Union Territory including Leh and Kargil towns.
Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) president Thupstan Chhewang said a section of media has tried to defame His Holiness Dalai Lama and such attempts will not be tolerated by the people in the Union Territory of Ladakh.
“We can even boycott such media,” he said and didn’t rule out the possibility of foreign hand behind attempts to defame His Holiness,” Chhewang said.
He added that the bandh was called to lodge strong protest against such attempts and teach the forces a lesson who tried to defame the spiritual leader.
Significantly, bandh was also complete in Muslim-dominated Kargil town where all shops and business establishments were voluntarily shut by the people and processions taken out.
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