NEW DELHI — On Monday, scores of Tibetan protesters found themselves in confrontation with police forces outside the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi, as exiled Tibetans commemorated the 66th anniversary of their crushed uprising against China.
Following the traditional measures of previous years, police thwarted the demonstrators’ attempt to enter the embassy grounds and temporarily detained several after a scuffle.
In the northern Indian town of Dharamsala, the heart of the exiled Tibetan government and residence of the Dalai Lama, their respected 89-year-old spiritual leader, hundreds marched in solidarity. Simultaneously, approximately a hundred Tibetan women gathered at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi—a designated area for protests near Parliament.
Chanting anti-China slogans, demonstrators brandished Tibetan flags and played the national anthems of both Tibet and India.
Although India recognizes Tibet as part of China, it hosts Tibetan exiles within its borders. In 1959, an independence uprising was brutally subdued by the Chinese military, forcing the Dalai Lama and his followers into Indian exile.
Participants in the protest painted their faces in the vibrant colors of the Tibetan national flag. They also held a minute of silence in tribute to Tibetans who perished during the ongoing struggle against China. Monks, activists, nuns, and schoolchildren joined together in a march, carrying banners inscribed with “Free Tibet” and “Remember, Resist, Return.”
Penpa Tsering, president of the Central Tibetan Administration (the exiled Tibetan government), accused the Chinese leadership of intentionally pursuing a strategy aimed at eradicating the Tibetan identity. “This marks the darkest and most critical period in the history of Tibet,” Tsering stated to those assembled. “As we commemorate the Tibetan National Uprising Day, we honor our brave martyrs and express solidarity with our brothers and sisters in Tibet suffering under an oppressive Chinese government.”
The Tibetan government-in-exile in India accuses China of violating fundamental human rights within Tibet and attempting to erase the Tibetan identity.
China maintains that Tibet has been part of its territory for centuries, a claim contested by Tibetans who argue that the region was virtually independent until China’s 1950 occupation.
Although accused by China of being a separatist, the Dalai Lama insists he only advocates for substantial autonomy and the safeguarding of Tibet’s Buddhist heritage.
