Controversial appointment of singer-nun to Lumbini trust sparks protests over money and citizenship

On Oct 16 the Nepalese cabinet, acting on a proposal from the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation, appointed singer-nun Ani Choying Drolma as vice-chair of the Lumbini Development Trust, a position that had been empty for nearly five months. The decision immediately triggered a protest movement, the Save Lumbini Grand Campaign, which started public assemblies on Oct 17, alleging that Drolma received $1,649,940 from two Hong Kong nationals in 2018 and that her Nepali citizenship may have been obtained using forged documents.

The Department of Money Laundering Investigation had opened a case at the time but later shelved the file without further action. Campaign leaders Akram Khan and Ram Bikas Chaudhary claim the government ignored qualified local scholars and intellectuals. Drolma asserts the allegations have been resolved and plans to take up the post, while former trust vice-chair Bhikkhu Metteya Shakyaputta praised her devotion and called for a swift, transparent resolution of the concerns. No new official inquiry has been announced.