Two slain Tawang protestors cremated in presence of Buddhist monks

GUWAHATI: Two anti-dam protestors killed in Monday's police firing in Arunachal Pradesh's Tawang district were cremated in presence of hundreds of Buddhist monks on Thursday.
The senior monks of the 400-year old Tawang monastery, where the bodies were first taken, performed special prayer session.
Cremation was done at a field close to the monastery in presence of a large picture of Dalai Lama placed at the venue.Monks performed funeral ceremonies in accordance with Buddhist tradition amid lighting of butter lamps in memory of the two protestors, according to eye witnesses.
Nine lamas from Sera Jey Monastery in Mysore were also present at the funeral ceremony. The nine lamas reached Tawang on Monday to express solidarity with their fellow lama Lobsang Gyatso, general secretary of Save Mon Region Federation (SMRF) who was arrested on April 28 for allegedly criticizing the Abbot of Tawang monastery. SMRF has been spearheading anti-large dam protests in Tawang since 2012, citing that many of the proposed hydel projects are threat to Tawang's Buddhist religious sites, culture and environment.
The two anti-dam activists were killed in police firing when hundreds of protestors under SMRF banner surrounded Tawang police station, demanding release of Gyatso.
On Thursday all business establishments at Tawang town of 20,000-odd residents remained closed on Thursday and locals also gathered at the funeral ceremony. Many of them were in tears, as the two bodies were cremated. Lamas from Mysore were also present at the cremation.
"The prayer session lasted for more than four hours. About 3000 monks and people from different walks of life attended the funeral ceremony," Jamphel Tsewang, who is the vice chairman of the peace committee constituted to bring normalcy in Tawang following the Monday protest, said.
Many of the predominantly Buddhist Monpa residents of Tawang, known for their peace loving nature, were disturbed over the police firing, saying that they had never witnessed such "bloodletting" in their recent memories.