A widely circulated video of the Dalai Lama showing inappropriate affection to a minor has triggered a furious row.
In the clip, the boy approaches the microphone and asks, “Can I hug you?”
The 87-year-old says “OK, come” and invites him on stage.
The Tibetan spiritual leader motions to his cheek and says “first here” and the boy gives him a hug and kiss.
He holds the boy’s arm and turns to him, saying “then I think fine here also” as he points to his lips.
The Dalai Lama then grabs the boy’s chin and kisses him on the mouth as the audience laughs.
“And suck my tongue”, the Dalai Lama tells the boy, sticking out his tongue.
They press their foreheads together and the boy briefly pokes out his tongue before backing away, as the Dalai Lama gives him a playful slap on the chest and laughs.
The boy goes to move away but the Dalai Lama shakes his hand and holds it to his cheek, before pulling him in for another hug.
He then offers the boy some spiritual advice, telling him to “look [to] those good human beings who create peace, happiness” and not “not follow those human beings who always kill other people”.
It is believed to have occurred last month at a M3M Foundation event at the courtyard of Thekchen Choeling Tsuglakhang in Dharamsala, India, a Buddhist temple that also serves as the Dalai Lama's private residence.
The video caused a massive stir in the country, with some online branding the footage "creepy" and "disgusting", while his supporters insisted he was "joking around" with the boy, according to local Indian media.
Sharing the video, Twitter user Joost Broekers wrote, "So the Dalai Lama is kissing an Indian boy at a Buddhist event and even tries to touch his tongue. He actually says 'suck my tongue'. Now why would he do that?"
"This is unbecoming and no one should justify this ill-conduct of @DalaiLama", wrote another Twitter user Deepika Pushkar Nath.
"What am I seeing? Is this Dalai Lama? Needs to be arrested for pedophilia. Disgusting", tweeted Jas Oberoi.
“This is absolutely reprehensible behavior by the Dalai Lama in full public view. It amounts to sexual misconduct and molestation. No child needs to be put in such a situation. Hope the authorities take cognizance. A case needs to be booked under POCSO (Protection Of Children from Sexual Offences Act)”, another social media user tweeted.
In 2019, the Dalai Lama sparked a huge controversy for saying that if his successor were to be a woman, she should have to be "attractive".
He actually declared: "If a female Dalai Lama comes, she should be more attractive".
The comment, which attracted criticisms from around the world, was made in an interview with the BBC in 2019.
He later apologized for his tendentious comment.
And the prior year, he also made headlines for suggesting on a trip to Sweden that refugees should return to their homes and help rebuild their countries because “Europe belongs to Europeans”.
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