A Buddhist monk from Arunachal Pradesh committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan at his residence in B Block in Vasant Enclave area on Saturday. A former Arunachal Pradesh Minister and a follower of the Dalai lama, he allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself in his flat in Vasant Kunj area in South Delhi.
The body of 47-year-old Tsona Gontse Rinpoche was found by his sister inside his first-floor flat around 1 am on Saturday. A suicide note written in Tibetan language was recovered from his possession. “We are yet to find out the reason behind his suicide as the letter has not been transcribed so far,” a police officer said.
Rinpoche, who came to Delhi on May 2, was reportedly close to Tibetan spiritual leader and was a former Minister of State in the Arunachal Pradesh Government. According to his followers, Rinpoche was acknowledged as a reincarnation of lama Thupten Jampel Wangchuk by the Dalai lama. He was also elected as a Minister of State in the Arunachal Government in 2004. Police said he was running an NGO in Delhi along with the ashram at the apartment.
Post-mortem report has indicated death by hanging. His body was handed over to his devotees. His mortal remains were flown to his native village in Bomdila in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday night. His devotees said the monk was upset over his relative losing an election from a seat in Arunachal Pradesh and reportedly depressed with his insomnia.