Protecting the Dalai Lama from chemicals & poison

The CID has recommended that his food be checked by his personal physician,and that it should not be ordered from the same supplier all the time.

Chemical detectors involve technology unfamiliar to the state police so far. The Dalai Lama receives an estimated two lakh visitors a year and the Central Tibetan Administration (CTA) has expressed fears that one of them,especially a woman,might be carrying some chemical on her person,possibly in her hair. The proposed devices can detect chemicals even in gaseous form.

“We are studying the proposals. Use of chemical detectors if required will be decided in consultation with the CTA,” says I D Bhandari,DGP (CID).

The security wing of the state police,the district police and the CTA have been reviewing and upgrading security. “We keep reviewing his security periodically. After the recent reports,we sent teams to McLeodganj and plugged all gaps,” said Bhandari,who has also discussed it with Tibetan cabinet ministers.

“In light of the Dalai Lama’s apprehensions,our agencies have undertaken a review of his security needs,” says Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. “Whatever is suggested will be done. We have also sought more funds from the Centre to upgrade security.”

The security budget is Rs 1 crore a year,of which Rs 70,000 to 75,000 is reimbursed by the Ministry of External Affairs. “The government has been asking for full reimbursement including the cost of new investments,” says Director General of Police D S Minhas.

Says Ngodup Dongchung,security minister in the Tibetan government-in-exile,“After his revelation,we have asked the MEA to provide funds for chemical detectors.”

The superintendent of police,Kangra,is the police’s nodal officer overseeing security. The Ministry of External Affairs,the IB,the R&AW and the CTA have independent setups at McLeodganj. Internal security on the complex is handled by the Tibetan Vikas Army.

The police review did not see an immediate need to increase manpower from the current 110 inside Byrne Estate,the Dalai Lama’s palace.

The upgrades recommended so far include raising the height of the boundary wall by a few feet and increasing patrolling,maintaining a fingerprints record of visitors,and introducing eye scanners. Gift items and articles were already being screened,with only a few items allowed selectively after X-ray checks,and these have now been banned along with mobile phones. Other new proposals include providing personnel with walkie-talkies,and installing an intercom system.

One area the CID has stressed is preparedness for an emergency evacuation,if necessary,of the Dalai Lama to a super-specialty hospital such as PGI Chandigarh. The police have expressed concerns about the Dalai Lama’s access to first aid,with the Tibetan hospital 1½km from his palace and the next nearest hospital being Rajendra Prasad Medical College in Tanda. No mock drill on an emergency evacuation,or even one for sabotage or fire,has ever been carried out at the palace.

The police have also suggested replacing the existing bullet-resistant Tata Safari used by the Dalai Lama,saying steep heights in McLeodganj are difficult to negotiate and the Dalai Lama often has to shift to an unprotected vehicle. Security agencies have recommended a new bullet-resistant vehicle,modern and light,with proper police escort.

Security minister Dongchung says even before the poisoning perception,the Dalai Lama was under threat. One potential threat is from a rival Tibetan group,the Shugden sect,spearheaded by the Dorje Shugden Devotees Charitable and Religious Society,founded in May 1996 . Members of the group are suspected to have been involved in the murder of three monks in February 1997.