Tibetan protesters clashed with police outside the Chinese embassy in New Delhi on Monday, marking the 66th anniversary of their uprising against China. The protesters, many of whom had their faces painted in Tibetan colors, shouted anti-China slogans and carried flags as they marched through the city. Hundreds of people also gathered in Dharamshala, where the Dalai Lama resides, while around a hundred Tibetan women protested near Parliament.
The 1959 independence uprising was crushed by Chinese forces, leading to the exile of the Dalai Lama and many Tibetans. China claims the Himalayan region has been part of its territory for centuries, but Tibetans say it was virtually independent until China occupied it in 1950. The Tibetan government-in-exile in India accuses China of denying human rights to people in Tibet and trying to expunge their identity.
The president of the Central Tibetan Administration called the current situation “the darkest and most critical period in the history of Tibet.” Monks, activists, nuns, and schoolchildren participated in a minute of silence to remember those who lost their lives in the struggle against China. The protesters held banners reading “Free Tibet” and “Remember, Resist, Return.”
China’s leadership has been accused of carrying out a strategy to eliminate the Tibetan people’s identity, with the Dalai Lama’s successor saying this marks the most critical period in the region’s history.
Source: https://www.newser.com/story/365482/marking-uprisings-anniversary-tibetans-scuffle-with-cops.html