Tibetans protest over Xi visit, 10 held near Chinese embassy

Cops face them without batons

Hundreds of Tibetans staged a massive protest in the city on Wednesday against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India.

A group of protesters tried to enter the Chinese embassy.Some 10 persons were detained from near the Chinese embassy. A large number of Tibetans were stopped by the police at Jantar Mantar where they shouted slogans against China for ‘illegal occupation of Tibet’.
“Indian government should not welcome the Chinese President. They have occupied our country at gunpoint and now they are talking about peaceful environment on the border,” said Dolma, leader of Tibetan community of Delhi.

“Hundreds of unarmed Buddhist monks have immolated themselves to get freedom from China and their death should not be wasted.”The protesters were carrying placards, posters, banners and flag of ‘free Tibet’. They tried to climb the barricades put by police but were pushed back.

The police and paramilitary personnel handling the situation were without batons in order to avert any chance of violent reply.However, two battalions of the Delhi Police and the Central Reserved Police Force armed with batons and anti-riot equipment were on standby to handle any violent protest.

“An entire generation grew up in India living as an exile. Why the Indian government is ignoring us and welcoming the Chinese premiere. We want answers and we will continue our protest till the time China vacates our land,” Tenzing Jigme, leader of Tibetan Youth Congress, told reporters.

The Tibetans also staged a protest at Majnu ka Tila, which is a Tibetan colony.
Heavy police force was deployed outside the area and residents were not allowed to go out in groups.

The protest at the colony till 11 am went peacefully without police intervention.  
“The area has been sealed from morning. It is such a humiliating experience. We are not being allowed to move in groups with barricades all over the area. We are being allowed out of the colony only if we are moving out alone,” said Wangchuk, a resident of the area.

However, the number of police personnel thinned towards the evening.
“With the colony being sealed, almost 2,000 people here have been affected. Over 300 police personnel were posted at the site so that our usual activities are disrupted. However, we still went ahead with our demonstration in the morning which ended at 11 am,” said Jigme Khesar, another resident.

A senior police official said: “Following an order from the Home Ministry, four Rapid Action Force companies were deployed. The RAF will be in place till Thursday. We have made elaborate arrangements in New Delhi district area. The security is tightened.”
Jinping will attend a series of programmes in Delhi on Thursday.