Ram Bahadur Bamjan, centre in white, believed by some to be the reincarnation of Buddha, is surrounded by Buddhist monks in Nijgadh town, south of Katmandu, Nepal, in November 2008
Ram Bahadur Bamjan, who is believed by some to be the reincarnation of the founder of Buddhism, was arrested by police in January on charges of sexual assault and suspicion of involvement in the disappearance of at least four followers from his camps. Bamjan is believed by many Nepalese to be the reincarnation of Siddhartha Gautama, who was born in southwestern Nepal some 2,600 years ago and became revered as the Buddha.Bamjan was arrested at a house in a suburb of Kathmandu, the country’s capital, after jumping two floors from a window in an attempt to flee.