Excelsior Correspondent
LEH, Mar 4: Responding to a call by the Ladakh Buddhist Association (LBA) and the Ladakh Gonpa Association (LGA), thousands of Buddhists across Ladakh observed a hunger strike, here today.
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The strike was observed in solidarity with the ongoing protest at Bodh Gaya. The protestors were demanding the transfer of Bodh Gaya temple’s management to the Buddhist community.
The main demonstration was held at NDS Memorial Park in Leh, where a large number of Buddhists gathered. They strongly were voicing their demand for the repeal of Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC) Act of 1949.
Similar hunger strikes were also staged in different sub-divisions and villages across Ladakh, reflecting the widespread support for the demand within the region’s Buddhist community.
Expressing their concerns over the Act, members of the Buddhist community across India have criticized inadequate representation of Buddhists in the temple’s management.
They point out that only four out of the nine members of the BTMC are Buddhists, despite the temple’s significance as the most sacred Buddhist pilgrimage site in the world.
The protest aligns with the ongoing hunger strike at Bodh Gaya, where hundreds of Buddhist monks and followers, under the banner of the All India Buddhist Forum, have been fasting since February 12.
Their primary demand is the handover of the Mahabodhi Temple’s management to the Buddhist community of India.
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