Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday assured Buddhist leaders that strict security measures have been taken to prevent a repeat of the July serial blasts at Bodh Gaya. “The serial bomb blasts in the holy shrine and in Bodh Gaya on July 7 left us aghast. Nobody had ever imagined that somebody will attack a place known for giving a message of peace to the world,” Kumar told a congregation of over 200 Buddhists from 39 countries at the Budha Smriti Park here.
“That was a warning. We took the incident very seriously and have taken security measures so that such things do not happen in future,” Kumar said at the conclave being attended by Buddhists from US, Russia, Australia, UK, Japan, Thailand, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Afghanistan and Germany.
Organised by the International Buddhist Council, the delegates include Mizutani Eikan and Reverend Kanikouie, both chief resident abbots from Japan.
Others were Maha Phong Samaluk, the sangharaja of Laos, Khamba Lama Dambajay, chief abbot of Mangolia, Delo Tulku Rinpoche of Russia, Tamba Ayusheed Panbido, supreme head of Russian Buddhists, Princess of Bhutan and Lama Lobzang, president of Asoka Mission. Kumar said that the Buddhist congregation would send a positive message across the world about Bodh Gaya.
Stating that the security of the shrine has been handed over to the Central Industrial Security Force, the chief minister said that the case was being investigated by the National Investigation Agency and the perpetrators would be punished soon. Lama Lobzong, Secretary General of International Buddhist Council and Ananda W P Guruge its Vice President said that the faith of Buddhists had not been shaken by the incident.
“Thank god not much damage was caused to the shrine and even casualty was also not much,” Lobzong told reporters. IBC office bearer Jampa Tsedroem from Germany said that the chief minister has been requested to declare Bodh Gaya as a holy city like Amritsar. Speaking on development of a Buddhist circuit, the chief minister said “We are trying to connect all Buddhist centres like Bodh Gaya, Nalanda, Patna, Vaishali and Sarnath in neighbouring Uttar Pradesh with high quality roads so that a visitor can move around these places in one day.” There were plans to develop Vaishali, considered the foremost republic of the world and where the Buddhist sangha was opened to women for the first time.
At Bodh Gaya, the state government was providing land for expansion of the runway of the airport. On the Budha Smriti Park in Patna, which was inaugurated by Dalai Lama in 2010, Kumar said it was earlier the Bankipore jail where during 1974 JP movement many including himself were held there. A watch tower still remained for people to remember its past history.
The park has a museum, a sapling of the Bodhi tree from Bodh Gaya and Anuradhapuram in Sri Lanka, he said. Giving statistics about about domestic and international tourists, he said, from 60,000 foreign tourists eight years ago, it has increased to 12 lakh now. Domestic tourist footfall has also increased from a few lakh to 2.1 crore. (PTI)