KATMANDU, Nepal: Police in Nepal are searching for five missing followers of a spiritual leader who is believed by devotees to be a reincarnation of Buddha, officials said Monday.
Ram Bahadur Bamjan, also known as Buddha Boy, became famous in southern Nepal in 2005 when many believed he was able to meditate without moving for months while sitting beneath a tree with no food or water. He remains popular despite accusations of sexually and physically assaulting his followers.
Uma Prasad Chaturbedi of Nepal’s Central Investigation Bureau said police raided three of Bamjan’s camps and are keeping him under strict surveillance as they search for the five missing people.
Chaturbedi said jungle areas near the camps were dug up after they received information that bodies might be buried there, but none was found.
The families of the five missing followers have filed cases with the authorities seeking to find them.
Bamjan has thousands of followers who visit him in his camps, believing he is a reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in southwestern Nepal roughly 2,500 years ago and became revered as the Buddha. Buddhist scholars have been skeptical of the claims.
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Nepal police search for 5 missing followers of ‘Buddha Boy’
Nepal police search for 5 missing followers of ‘Buddha Boy’
- Ram Bahadur Bamjan became famous in southern Nepal in 2005 when many believed he was able to meditate without moving for months
- Bamjan has thousands of followers who visit him in his camps, believing he is a reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama
UK condemns 10-year sentence for British couple in Iran
- Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged with espionage after Iran accused them of gathering information in several parts of the country
LONDON: British foreign minister Yvette Cooper on Thursday condemned as “totally unjustifiable” the 10-year sentence given to two British nationals detained in Iran, saying the government would continue pressing for their release.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged with espionage after Iran accused them of gathering information in several parts of the country.
“We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family,” Cooper said in a statement.
Joe Bennett, Lindsay’s son, said in a separate statement the couple had appeared at a three-hour trial on October 27 of last year in which they were not allowed to present a defense.
“We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage,” he said, adding that the family was deeply concerned about the couple’s welfare and the lack of transparency in the judicial process.
Craig and Lindsay Foreman had been charged with espionage after Iran accused them of gathering information in several parts of the country.
“We will pursue this case relentlessly with the Iranian government until we see Craig and Lindsay Foreman safely returned to the UK and reunited with their family,” Cooper said in a statement.
Joe Bennett, Lindsay’s son, said in a separate statement the couple had appeared at a three-hour trial on October 27 of last year in which they were not allowed to present a defense.
“We have seen no evidence to support the charge of espionage,” he said, adding that the family was deeply concerned about the couple’s welfare and the lack of transparency in the judicial process.
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