As the 65^th anniversary of the 14th Dalai Lama's escape to India from Tibet approaches this Saturday, the Assam Rifles, responsible for ensuring his safe evacuation, recalls its enduring connection with the esteemed spiritual leader.

The 5th battalion of Assam Rifles was assigned the responsibility of safely escorting the Dalai Lama and his group through the North East Frontier Agency, which is now known as Arunachal Pradesh, into Assam as they crossed into Indian territory on March 31, 1959.

“The legacy of the 5th Assam Rifles’ escort of the Dalai Lama in 1959 remains a poignant chapter in the shared history of India and Tibet, symbolising the enduring spirit of friendship, support and humanitarianism,” the paramilitary force said in a statement.

It added that the bond with the Dalai Lama has continued over the years, with a body of the troop, often called the ‘the Dalai Lama battalion’, visiting the leader every year in Dharamshala in Himachal Pradesh to seek his blessings.

The spiritual leader has also kept his memories of the 5th Assam Rifles during his evacuation, which he recalled during his visit to Guwahati in April 2017, the Assam Rifles said.

During that visit, he also encountered Havildar Naren Chandra Das, who was among the group that accompanied him as far as Tezpur in Assam.

As a token of appreciation, the Dalai Lama gifted his personal weapons to the 5th Assam Rifles, which are currently showcased at the Assam Rifles Museum in Shillong.

In 1958, the 5th Assam Rifles were stationed in the Kameng Frontier Division of Arunachal Pradesh, where their outposts extended across a vast territory encompassing locations such as Chuthangmu, Bumla, and Chuna in the Kameng Frontier, and Longju and Taksing in the Subansiri Frontier.

The 14th Dalai Lama fled from Lhasa on March 17, 1959, and by March 26, his caravan had arrived at Lhuntse Dzong, which was just a few days' march away from the McMahon Line, the border separating India and Tibet.

Upon hearing about the Dalai Lama's escape, the Indian government swiftly took action by sending a contingent of the 5th Assam Rifles to guarantee his secure entry into the country.

On March 31, the spiritual leader was received by the party of the 5th Assam Rifles and the people of Monyulat at the Frontier Post of Chuthangmu in Kameng Division.

He was escorted by the paramilitary force through Tawang, Bomdila, and then to Tezpur, from where he proceeded further into the country.

After the Dalai Lama's compelled exile to India, the frontier posts of Chuthangmu, Bumla, and Chuna experienced a significant influx of armed Tibetan refugees known as 'Khampas.' Subsequently, the 5th Assam Rifles undertook the task of escorting approximately 12,000 refugees through the Kameng Frontier Division.

The force also recalled that the Dalai Lama’s escape marked a crucial moment not just in Tibetan history but also in the evolution of the Indo-Chinese relationship.

“The Chinese Government considers the Dalai Lama a separatist threat due to his advocacy for Tibetan autonomy. The entire episode of the Dalai Lama fleeing through the Indo-Tibet border to India, irked China to the extent that it moved its troops to the India-China border and claimed vast areas of Indian Territory in Kameng and Subansiri Frontier Division,” the statement said.

The border outpost of the 5th Assam Rifles at Longju in the Subansiri Division was subsequently abandoned after an armed confrontation with Chinese forces in August 1959, it further stated.

Image source: Wikipedia