NEW DELHI: Seeking to highlight Chinese atrocities in their "homeland" during the Olympic torch run here, Tibetan refugees staged demonstrations across the capital and took out a parallel "torch relay" resulting in clashes with police at various places.
At least 120 Tibetans were arrested or detained in different parts of the capital as protesters emerged at various places in small numbers to make attempts to disrupt the torch relay held under impregnable security cover.
Ever since the Beijing Olympic torch arrived here from Islamabad past midnight, Tibetans started their protests, beginning with an attempt to sneak into Le Meridien Hotel in the wee hours, where the flame was kept.
Thereafter, scores of protest demonstrations were held across Delhi, including an attempt to barge into Rashtrapati Bhavan from where the torch relay was to begin. About 90 Tibetans were detained in the vicinity of the route of the Beijing Olympic torch relay, including 50 from outside the Le Meridien Hotel, where the flame had been kept.
Over a dozen Tibetans were picked up from near India Gate, the culmination point of the torch run, as they attempted to hold protests there. Police had to use mild force to disperse protesters at various places as the Olympic torch relay was conducted on a truncated 2.3 km stretch of historic Rajpath from Rashtrapati Bhavan to India Gate amid heavy security cover.
The protesters carried Tibetan flags, placards and banners with messages such as "Azad Tibet, Surakshit Bharat" and "Free Tibet". Before the official Olympic torch relay, hundreds of Tibetans took out a parallel "torch relay" from Rajghat, the samadhi of Mahatma Gandhi, to Jantar Mantar, which has been the epicenter of Tibetan protests over the past several days.
The torch was lit at Rajghat after an inter-religion prayer meeting and the large number of Tibetans assembled there took a pledge to ensure that the torch, which "signifies the freedom of Tibet and humanity", keeps on burning.
Among the participants in the rally were a large number of monks attired in traditional red robes, women and children besides leaders like George Fernandes, Kiren Rijiju, Ramdas Athavale, Jaya Jaitley, Swami Agnivesh and Nafisa Ali.
"The official relay has little spirit of Olympics as it is being organized under extreme security. So we decided to live up to the original spirit of Olympics and organize a parallel run," said Tseten Norbu, spokesperson of Tibetan Solidarity Committee, organizing the protests here.
During the parallel torch run, a constable snatched a battery-operated torch carried by former Samata Party president Jaya Jaitley apparently thinking that it could lead to trouble. However, the protesters challenged the constable and reclaimed the battery torch.
At Jantar Mantar, several Tibetan groups such as 'Tibet Freedom Movement' and 'Tibetan Youth Congress' and panchayat members from the Tibetan settlements in different parts of the country have been camping for several days.
The protesters have set up a symbolic Tibetan monastery there and they held prayers in memory of those killed in the anti-China protests in Lhasa which broke out on March ten. Around 3,000 Tibetans held a march at Jantar Mantar in the evening at the same time of the relay.
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