Claims of Violence/discrimination Against Non-Shugden Practitioners
A year after the Dalai Lama's 1996 banning of the practice, Gen Lobsang Gyatso was murdered in Dharmasala, along with two of his students.
Lobsang Gyatso had been a vocal supporter of the Dalai Lama's position on the worship of Dorje Shugden since the 1970s. In 1978, he wrote a book apparently criticizing the Dalai Lama’s teacher, Trijang Rinpoche, for his propagation of the Shugden cult, calling him a "knotless heretic teacher—that is, a heretic disguised as a Buddhist monk." According to Lobsang Gyatso's biographer, Gareth Sparham, many Geshes and Lamas were outraged about his criticism:
How could a nobody like Lobsang Gyatso, who was neither from an aristocratic family nor the head of a Tibetan region, indeed not even a full graduate of a religious university, dare to criticize in print an important establishment figure? Georges Dreyfus at the time remarked that in pre-1959 Gen-la would have been killed outright for his temerity. Many in the Tibetan community ostracized Gen-la, even though the Dalai Lama had already by that time begun speaking publicly against the Shugden cult. Even the Dalai Lama appeared to distance himself from Gen-la. "He is headstrong and his lack of sensitivity is making trouble," seemed to be his attitude towards Gen-la at the time.
Georges Dreyfus adds that "Despite being hurt by the polemical attack, Tri-jang Rin-po-che made it clear that violence was out of the question. Gradually, tempers cooled down and the incident was forgotten—or so it seemed."
After the murder, Indian police interviewed several men they identified as worshippers of Dorje Shugden, but, given the lack of any evidence, could not formally charge anyone. Though no arrest was made, many within the CTA assumed that it had been carried out by supporters of Dorje Shugden. The Seattle Times reported that: "The two men suspected of stabbing their victims are believed to have fled India. Five others, all linked to the Dorje Shugden Society in New Delhi, were questioned for months about a possible conspiracy. No one has been charged."
Geshe Kelsang Gyatso denied the involvement of any of his followers in the murder, and condemned the killings. The Tibetan government in exile maintains that the murder of Lobsang Gyatso was carried out by followers of Dorje Shugden.
In June 2007, the Times stated that Interpol had issued a Red notice to China for extraditing two of the alleged killers.
Read more about this topic: Dorje Shugden Controversy, Claims of Violence/discrimination
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