Gaya/Patna, Jan. 8: The security around Kalchakra Ground, where the Dalai Lama has been performing Kalchakra Puja, has been tightened in the wake of an abortive attempt by two Buddhist monks to get access to the Tibetan spiritual leader by using fake passes yesterday.

Highly trained personnel of Special Task Force’s Anti Terrorist Squad have been deployed at the venue while the Gurkha jawans of Bihar Military Police’s first battalion, have been deployed as house guards at the place where the Dalai Lama is staying.

In addition, around 3,000 policemen have been deployed for the security of the devotees. “Two monks of the Dulku sect were detained for interrogation after they were spotted making attempts to get access to the VIP area. Both the monks had tried to get closer to the dais by using scanned copies of entry passes issued to them in the past,” Gaya senior superintendent of police (SSP) Vinay Kumar said.

“The police have lodged a complaint of impersonation against the two lamas,” the SSP said, adding that the chief security officer of the Dalai Lama has given in writing to the police that the two detainees were respected devotees and also pleaded for their early release from police custody.

“The two lamas were spotted trying to get closer to the spiritual leader and there is no question of any threat to the Dalai Lama from the two followers,” the SSP quoted the letter handed over to the police by the chief security officer. The SSP said that limited passes issued to the followers by the Kalchakra Initiation Organisation Committee might have prompted the two lamas, said to be associated with a Himachal Pradesh monastery, to use scanned copies of the previous passes to enter the VIP area adjacent to the dais.

Additional director-general of police (headquarters) Ravinder Kumar said in Patna that foolproof security arrangements had been made for the ongoing Kalchakra Puja. “The security arrangements are being reviewed by the senior police officers from time to time,” he added.

On the other hand, additional security forces reached Bodhgaya from neighbouring districts today in the wake of chief minister Nitish Kumar’s two-day visit beginning tomorrow.