No Lesson Learnt? After Bali's Hotel Heist, Another Indian Tourist Desecrate 'Chorten' In Bhutan

An Indian tourist in Bhutan has been detained by the Kingdom’s Royal Police for allegedly desecrating a ‘chorten’ in the country, according to a media report on Friday. The tourist who goes by the name Abhijit Ratan Hajare hails from Maharashtra and was part of a 15-bike convoy touring the Himalayan nation, The Bhutanese reported. The group was led by a Bhutanese national.

What is ‘Chorten’?

A ‘chorten’ is a Buddhist shrine, typically a saint’s tomb or a monument to the Buddha.

Hazare can be seen standing on top of a ‘chorten’ in the photographs and videos published by The Bhutanese on Twitter. Moreover, the second man Jambay, who was repairing the ‘chortens’, is seen sitting on the ‘chorten’.

The video of Indian Tourist Abhijit Ratan Hajare from Maharashtra climbing the chorten.
Source: WeChat. pic.twitter.com/MwxzcvjLVl

— The Bhutanese (@thebhutanese) October 18, 2019

The ‘desecration’ incident happened when the bikers were resting at Dochula on Thursday and the team leader was trying to arrange parking space for the bikes, the report said. However, the Bhutanese group leader was unaware of the incident, the report said.

The police have seized Hajare’s passport and was interrogated on Friday. The royal police have started an investigation. Though Hajare was officially detained, he was allowed to spend Thursday night at his hotel. The police is also on the lookout for Jambay, the report said.

In a similar incident, a video of some Indian tourists stealing room accessories such as towels, hair dryers, soap dispensers went viral. The two minute, twenty second video clip showed men and women, who were part of an Indian family tour, first arguing and then apologising to the hotel staff.

(With PTI inputs)