By IANS
Patna : Buddhist monks Monday threatened to take legal action if the Bihar government did not obtain a test report from a Pune based laboratory on whether or not a branch of the sacred Bodhi tree in Bodh Gaya was cut off.
"It is a deliberate move on the part of the Bihar government to delay the obtaining of the test report from Pune. We see it as a conspiracy to keep the issue of the damage of the Bodhi tree under surface," said Bhadant Anand, president of the Akhil Bharatiya Bhikkhu Mahasangh (All India Monks Association).
"Let the state government first make the Pune lab test report public. We will challenge it in the court if government delays it further," he said.
Anand also demanded a probe by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) into the case. "We demand Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a CBI probe into the branch cutting incident. It will help dispel doubts among Buddhists worldwide".
He questioned the Nitish Kumar led government's decision to order a fresh laboratory test in a Dehradun based institute.
"Why the government went ahead with a fresh laboratory test in place of obtaining the test report from Pune?" he asked.
Last month, a three-member team of scientists from the Forest Research Institute (FRI) in Dehradun examined the Bodhi tree after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar decided to hand over the upkeep of the sacred tree to FRI.
The team has collected samples of the bark, leaves, branches and soil of its root for a laboratory test. It would also conduct a molecular test to ascertain its health and future requirements.
In July last year, it was widely reported that some miscreants had cut off a branch of the Bodhi tree, considered sacred by millions as it is believed Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under it.
The Nitish Kumar-led government was quick in issuing a denial. However, after a lot of hue and cry, the state government got samples collected from the cut area on the tree and sent it to a Pune based forest laboratory to ascertain the truth.
But nearly twelve months later, the report is yet to be made public. The Gaya district administration said the report was awaited.
"Why the report was delayed when state government then claimed it would be available within a fortnight? Not weeks but months have passed, there is no report. It smells something fishy or an attempt to hide the truth," Anand said.