Buddhist monk found dead - Woman priest stabbed at Buddha Vihar in city

TT, Guwahati, Dec. 17: A Buddhist woman priest, C.S. Lama, in her late fifties, was found dead in the first-floor room of the Buddha Vihar in the Amingaon area of Kamrup district this morning.

Sources said the priest was stabbed during the night and her body, lying in a pool of blood, was discovered by the staff when they had gone to her room with the morning tea. They immediately informed the police, which deployed sniffer dogs in search of clues.

Sources said labourers involved in construction activities at the Vihar, which is around 300 feet uphill from the road, were questioned in connection with the death. "Two of them have been detained," a source said.

The Vihar, which is around 1.5 km from the district headquarters, came up in the area over three decades ago, locals said.

Speaking to The Telegraph Kamrup deputy commissioner Vinod Kumar Seshan said, "It is really shocking. She was in her late fifties and of amiable disposition. She used to run the Axom Buddha Vihar and often sought the administration's help for the centre. I had met her a couple of times. Police are investigating her death and we will get a clear picture in a couple of days."