Dagri Rinpoche was accused of molesting an Indian woman on a Delhi to Gaggal flight. The incident was widely reported in the Indian media and their descriptions of what transpired strongly imply that instead of groping the woman through her clothes, Dagri Rinpoche actively tried to violate the lady and get his hands under her clothing. The Indian lady pressed charges with the police and Dagri Rinpoche was duly arrested and put in police custody.
No one seems to be surprised that Dagri Rinpoche was detained for his behaviour. The fact he was caught harassing a lady from Kinnaur, a region in India where Tibetan Buddhism is strong and people have blind faith towards Tibetan monks and lamas, only confirms the news.
What’s more, when Dagri Rinpoche was detained, he had the gall to list the Dalai Lama’s Office as his address on the police paperwork. Clearly he was trying to use his position and the Dalai Lama’s name to intimidate the police and sway them into not pressing charges. This, quite frankly, is disgusting because rather than thinking about the trauma experienced by the victim, Dagri Rinpoche’s first act was to try to evade justice and protect himself and his reputation, by drawing on his association with the Dalai Lama.
Bear in mind that Dagri Rinpoche holds a Geshe Lharam degree which is equivalent to a doctorate degree in Tibetan Buddhism, yet he is extremely disrespectful towards Tibetan Buddhism and towards women in general. In Tibetan Buddhism, many deities are female and they are revered and treasured. So Dagri Rinpoche’s actions are completely contradictory to what is taught in Buddhism and extremely shameful for a person of his status.