The Dalai Lama apologised on Monday to a boy, his family, and friends for the "hurt his words may have caused" after a video clip purportedly showing the Tibetan spiritual head asking him to "suck" his tongue sparked a row.
In the two-minute, five-second video, the Dalai Lama also asked the child "to look at those good human beings who create peace and happiness and not follow those who kill other people."
The government is examining what can be done in the matter as the Dalai Lama has diplomatic immunity, a senior official said.
In a statement, the Tibetan spiritual head's office said, "A video clip has been circulating that shows a recent meeting when a young boy asked His Holiness the Dalai Lama if he could give him a hug. His Holiness wishes to apologise to the boy and his family, as well as his many friends across the world, for the hurt his words may have caused."
"His Holiness often teases people he meets in an innocent and playful way, even in public and before cameras. He regrets the incident," it added.
However, the Tibetan spiritual leader's gesture was criticised by some child rights activists, who said such actions cannot be "playful".
Bharati Ali, co-founder of HAQ Centre for Child Rights, told PTI, "We teach our children safe and unsafe touch, and such actions send mixed signals and are confusing. Influential leaders like the Dalai Lama should contribute to building a safe environment and should not disrupt them with these actions."
Such actions cannot be considered "playful", she said.
Child rights activist Enakshi Ganguly said the viral video of the Dalai Lama kissing a young boy is worrying to say the least, but equally concerning are the videos that clearly identify the child, stigmatising and violating him.
Several netizens also expressed disapproval at the action of the Dalai Lama.
"This is not playful banter, and it is so inappropriate to use 'affectionately plants kisses alongside 'suck my tongue'. Hugs are fine, not this. Don't normalise molestation of kids," one user said on Twitter.
Another netizen tweeted, "The dissonance of that Dalai Lama video is exactly what makes it possible for this kind of abuse to happen at the highest levels of spiritual leadership—no one wants to believe elevated people can behave this way. And so they do. And folks even laugh while watching. Now what?"
"You don't do that to a child; it is not a joke, and it is not funny. This is not a tease; this is not funny," another netizen tweeted.
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