Speaking in Chandigarh, External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee said the issue could not be discussed since Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was out of New Delhi on Friday. “We will respond in a day or two.” The government is likely to make a statement in Parliament on the issue on Monday. A foreign office spokesman said India was “distressed” over the situation.

“We are distressed by reports of the unsettled situation and violence in Lhasa and by the death of innocent people,” the spokesman said.

“We would hope that all those involved will work to improve the situation and remove the causes of such trouble in Tibet, which is an autonomous region of China, through dialogue and non-violent means,” he added.

Violence erupted in Lhasa on Friday when protesters led by Buddhist monks clashed with Chinese troops in the biggest and angriest demonstrations in two decades against the Chinese rule. Ten people have died in the violence.