Tibetans banned from staging rally in Delhi
NEW DELHI: India has banned Tibetans from holding a rally with the Dalai Lama in New Delhi to mark the 60th anniversary of a failed uprising against Chinese rule, officials said, as it tries to improve fraught ties with China.
Relations between China and India have been tense, after their troops faced off on a disputed part of their border. China was also angered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit last month to the eastern border state of Arunachal Pradesh, also claimed by China.
Senior officials in the Foreign and Interior ministries said yesterday exiled Tibetans would not be allowed to hold a rally in the capital this month, but could do so in the northern town of Dharamsala, where a Tibetan government in exile is based.
“We don’t want Tibetans to hold big anti-China protests in New Delhi, because it creates diplomatic tension between India and China,” said the senior Foreign Ministry official.
“It’s a very sensitive time for India and China ties and we want to ease tensions,” he added.
China took control of Tibet in 1950 in what it calls a “peaceful liberation” of the remote Himalayan region. An uprising against Chinese rule in Tibet erupted in 1958 and troops crushed it the following year.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader the Dalai Lama fled from the crackdown and was granted asylum in India. The Dalai Lama has lived mostly in Dharamsala, where his supporters run a small government in exile and advocate for autonomy for Tibet by peaceful means.
The Interior Ministry also said the Tibetan rally could not be held in New Delhi.
“The Dalai Lama’s followers can host events, hold protests – but only in Dharamsala,” said the official, who also declined to be identified as he is not authorised to speak to the media. “We have limited them this time.” Dorje Gyalchen, a representative of the Tibetan community in Dharamsala, confirmed the venue for the gathering planned for New Delhi would be changed.
China considers the Dalai Lama to be a dangerous separatist and has piled pressure on foreign governments to shun him. India allows him to pursue his religious activities in the country and to travel abroad.
Tens of thousands of Tibetans live in 39 formal settlements and dozens of informal communities across India.