Allegations of vehicle duty evasion and other traffic-related irregularities, made by local authorities in the Indian state of Himachal Pradesh against dignitaries of the Tibetan Buddhist Karma Kagyu School, have the potential to create diplomatic ructions between India and Bhutan, as vehicles seized by police turned out to be owned by the Bhutanese royal family. The police action seems to have been inspired by a recent, well publicised case of vehicle duty evasion in Delhi, but Himachali authorities in their zeal seem to have ignored the basic agreements between the two countries relating to motor vehicles. This is the second time in a year that the Himachali authorities have seized property from the Karma Kagyu school. A raid on the residence of the Karmapa, the head of the school, in January 2011, made international headlines(1). The government in Delhi later cleared the Karmapa and implicitly reprimanded the Himachali authorities. But a dispute ensued between Delhi and local officials as to who, until procedures have been formally brought to a conclusion, should keep custody of the sizeable amounts of foreign currency seized(2).

An article in the Himachal Pradesh edition of The Tribune, on 21 July 2011, reported that four "high-end luxury vehicles" were seized at the Sherabling monastery, the seat of Tai Situ Rimpoche, one of the most senior lamas of the Karma Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism and teacher of the 17th Karmapa, Ugyen Trinley Dorje.

Quoting police sources, the article claimed that the vehicles had been brought into India from Bhutan and had evaded import duty and insurance fees. "Since the duty had not been paid on them", said the report, the vehicles had been "plying illegally", between Tibetan monasteries in Kangra, Mandi and Kullu with Bhutanese license plates. The report added: "It had come to the notice of the police" that various Tibetan monasteries were using "around six such vehicles" with Bhutanese number plates. SR Mardi, Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Law and Order, said: "We will take cognizance [sic] of such vehicles with Bhutanese number plates and registration certificates being in use in the state without valid documents". The article also claims Indian central intelligence agencies tipped off police that the Tibetans were using illegally held vehicles.

Of the "luxury cars" seized, two are currently wrecks. One, a 1960 model Land Rover, was placed at the disposal of Tai Situ Rinpoche, when he was a young man, by the then queen mother of Bhutan in Kalimpong, India. The other one, a 1980s model Isuzu Trooper, was given by the Bhutanese royal family as replacement for the Land Rover. After some minor accidents and due to the lack of original spare parts available in Himachal, the Isuzu was also decommissioned. It appears not to have been used after 2001.

Technically, these vehicles are still the property of the royal family or the government of Bhutan, since they were never transferred into Tai Situ Rinpoche's or his monasteries' name. The vehicles still bear their original Bhutanese number plates which feature the letters BHT or BG, which are reserved for the royal family and the government of Bhutan, a fact which Himachali police should have been aware of, but obviously was not. They remained in the garage as they could not legally be sold in India and taking wrecks back to Bhutan would be costly, apart from making little sense.

In mid 2010, the current queen mother sent a new Toyota Land Cruiser for Tai Situ Rinpoche's use with the same license plate as the old Land Rover. This is legal in Bhutan, as well as in many other countries, where the same number can be retained for a new car purchased as a replacement for the old one. The papers relating to the vehicles remain in the queen mother of Bhutan's name and are being renewed annually according to Bhutanese law. Treaties allow vehicles bearing national number plates free movement between India and Bhutan; the exception being that vehicles are only permitted to be sold in the country where they were registered. Apparently, Himachal's police was not aware of that either.

A potential sticking point for the Himachali authorities is that in all matters related to the property of the Bhutan royal family or the Bhutanese government, who own sizable properties in India, in Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Calcutta, Delhi, Bodhgaya and elsewhere, local Indian authorities cannot take action without first informing and then getting the approval of both governments. The royal family of Bhutan is reportedly "very upset" about the seizures and the case is likely to have an impact diplomatically.

Notes:
1: See: 'Claims that Karmapa is Chinese spy dismissed' http://www.tibetinfonet.net/content/news/11424
2: See: 'Indian agencies clash over Karmapa funds' http://www.tibetinfonet.net/content/news/11470