Six chortens broken into in a fortnight
Lhuentse: Six Jangchub chortens in Lhuentse were robbed of their züngs within the past two weeks. Five of the chortens vandalised and robbed were in Wambur village under Tsenkhar gewog, while the sixth was in Menji gewog.
The first two chortens were robbed in Wambur on June 24, and three others on July 2. It was not known when the chorten in Menji was robbed.
Wambur tshogpa, Choney, said the chortens were robbed at night. “When the first two chortens were robbed, my aunt saw them the next day, while on her way to a paddy field for transplantation work, and informed me,” he said. “After I received information, we formed a group and went to check the other chortens in the village and informed people to be vigilant.” he said
The robbery of the three other chortens were also reported by farmers to the tshogpa, who reported the incident to the gup. The gup told the police.
The vandalism and robbery of the chorten in a Menji gewog home was reported by students returning home for summer break.
“It isn’t known when it was built, but some of the chortens were vandalised in the past, and renovated by the villagers,” he said.
Some farmers said the chortens were not close to settlements, and built along the dangpu jalam (footpath), the use of which had decreased after the farm road was constructed. “It’s become difficult to guard the chortens,” a farmer said. “And we have no caretaker.”
Robbing a chorten is a first-degree felony, the penalty for which can be a life sentence.
Meanwhile, a Jangchub chorten in Chali, Mongar was also vandalised. “But fortunately, nothing was stolen because of the strong foundation, which the robbers couldn’t dig,” gup Tandin Tshewang said.
By Dechen Tshering, Mongar in Kuensel