Dalai Lama offers apology after outrage over video
A statement issued by the private office of the 87-year-old spiritual leader, which has been uploaded on the Dalai Lama’s website and twitter handle, said that he regrets the “hurt” induced by his words and addressed the apology to the boy and his family and “friends all over the world”. The video went viral on Sunday
Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama on Monday offered apology after a purported video of him kissing a boy and asking him to “suck his tongue” sparked a public outrage with many questioning his actions and asking him to step down.
A statement issued by the private office of the 87-year-old spiritual leader, which has been also uploaded on the Dalai Lama’s website and twitter handle, said that he regrets the “hurt” induced by his words and addressed the apology to the boy and his family and “friends all over the world”.
“A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family as well as his many friends across the world for the hurt his words may have caused,” says the statement.
“His Holiness often teases people he meets in an ‘innocent and playful’ way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident,” added the statement.
The video went viral on Sunday after which netizens expressed shock over the incident calling out the spiritual leader for his action.
Sources said that the incident happened on February 28 at Tsuglakhang Temple in McLeodganj, which is also called the Dalai Lama temple. The boy was accompanying a group of more than 100 students and officials of Gurugram-based M3M group who had an audience with the Dalai Lama after their annual convocation at Dharamshala.
An eyewitness, who was present there, on condition of anonymity said during the event, a young boy aged around 10-12 years old, who was probably amongst the family members of officials of the M3M Foundation, asked the Dalai Lama that can he hug him.
Responding to him, the Dalai Lama called the boy on the stage. This time the boy again asked the Dalai Lama, “Can I kiss you?” to which the spiritual leader said yes.
This is after this that the Dalai Lama said that you can also “suck my tongue” to which everyone around laughed.
“However, it seems that a part of the video clip was made viral to create a controversy,” he said.
Earlier, the Dalai Lama had stoked a controversy in 2019 when he said that if his that if his successor were to be a woman, she should be “more attractive.”
He later apologised for the controversial remarks, while his office suggested that he had been joking.
