11th Panchen Lama: Exiled Tibetans demonstrate in Dharamshala demanding release of spiritual leader

The protesters believe China has abducted him.

With chants echoing through the streets, protesters voiced their concerns over the mysterious disappearance of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima, recognized by Tibet’s spiritual leader, the 14th Dalai Lama, as the legitimate Panchen Lama, reported ANI.

Tenzin Kunsel, a protester and the regional president of Tibetan Women Association, told the news agency: "This is the 29th time that we have gathered here and we want the Chinese government to release Panchen Lama and give us the current well-being and whereabouts of the 11th Panchen Lama."

The Panchen Lama holds the second most crucial position in the Tibetan spiritual paradigm after Dalai Lama.

Gedhun Choekyi Nyima is the 11th Panchen Lama belonging to the Gelugpa school of Tibetan Buddhism, as recognized and announced by the 14th Dalai Lama on 14 May 1995.

According to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom website, Nyima was forcibly disappeared because of his religious leadership role.

On May 17, 1995, authorities abducted then six-year old Gedhun and his family.  The abduction came after the Dalai Lama chose Gedhun to be the 11th Panchen Lama, the second highest position in Tibetan Buddhism, on May 14, 1995, the website mentions.

Chinese authorities later announced their own pick to serve as the Panchen Lama.

US reaction

The United States demanded China to reveal the whereabouts of Gedhun Choekyi Nyima and his well-being.

US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said in a statement: " The PRC government is denying members of the Tibetan community access to this important religious figure and instead continues to promote a state-selected proxy."

"We urge PRC authorities to immediately account for Gedhun Choekyi Nyima’s whereabouts and well-being and to allow him to fully exercise his human rights in line with the PRC’s international commitments," he said.

Tibetan Uprising

The 1959 Tibetan Uprising or the 1959 Tibetan rebellion began on 10 March 1959, when a revolt erupted in Lhasa, the capital of the Tibet Autonomous Region, which had been under the effective control of the People's Republic of China since the Seventeen Point Agreement was reached in 1951.

Armed conflict between Tibetan guerillas and the People's Liberation Army(PLA) had started in 1956 in the Kham and Amdo regions, which had been subjected to socialist reform.

The guerrilla warfare later spread to other areas of Tibet and lasted through 1962.

The anniversary of the uprising is observed by Tibetan exiles as the ''Tibetan Uprising Day''.