Tibetan Information Office (TIO) is based in Canberra.

Shugden Protester Penalised for Assault on Senior Citizen in US

Mr Ngawang Norbu Sherpa.

BOSTON, MA: According to the Tibetan Association of Boston and Mr Ngawang Norbu Sherpa, a US district court based in Boston, Massachusetts, has issued a restraining order and a monthly penalty against a Shugden protester for physically assaulting a senior citizen. The verdict was announced by the Cambridge District Court yesterday, 23 May 2016.

Lobsang Gyaltsen aka Dowa Gyakpa, a protester who was part of a Shugden mob, has pleaded guilty in a case of unlawful assault over Mr Ngawang Norbu Sherpa, a senior citizen.

The accused has allegedly assaulted the victim during His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s visit to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) on 31 October 2014.

The judge issued a restraining order against the abuser Mr Lobsang Gyaltsen, ordering him to stay a certain distance away from Mr Ngawang Norbu Sherpa, the victim, and also prohibited the abuser from contacting the victim either directly or indirectly through proxies. The judge further ordered the abuser to make an immediate payment of 90 US Dollars to the district attorney and another 50 Dollars every month for one year to District Administration, failing which the abuser could face additional charges.

Before pronouncing the verdict, the judge asked the accused whether he understood the repercussions of his actions, which could possibly affect his citizenship application or could lead to probation of up to one-year, or deportation, etc. The accused has replied in affirmation to all the queries posed by the judge, answering that he understood the possible repercussions.