Bangri Tsamtrul Rinpoche was the founder and director of the Gyatso Institute for Orphans, a privately operated Tibetan school established in May 1996 in Lhasa. The institution provided education and shelter to approximately forty Tibetan children from different regions and was supported by Tibetan benefactors and foreign sponsors. Besides religious instruction, the school offered courses in Tibetan, English, Chinese, and Mathematics. In August 1999, Tsamtrul Rinpoche was arrested by Public Security Bureau officials together with his wife and several teachers. Following the arrests, the school was forcibly closed and its property confiscated by Chinese authorities. Reports indicated that documents and materials considered “political” were seized during a search of his residence. While in detention, Tsamtrul Rinpoche reportedly suffered severe beatings that resulted in serious injuries. His detention became emblematic of the broader crackdown on independent Tibetan educational and cultural institutions during that period.