Police keep an eye out for tibetan activists

In a desperate bid to keep away Tibetan activists from protesting against the maiden visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India, the Delhi Police affected heavy deployment of personnel across north Delhi’s Majnu ka Tilla today.

In a desperate bid to keep away Tibetan activists from protesting against the maiden visit of Chinese Premier Li Keqiang to India, the Delhi Police affected heavy deployment of personnel across north Delhi’s Majnu ka Tilla on Sunday.

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The measure follows the police declining permission to Tibetan youth groups from holding a demonstration against the Chinese premiere’s visit. The visit comes after escalation of tension between the two nations on the border.

“The police denied us permission to hold a demonstration in New Delhi and several activists are currently on the run to evade arrest,” Dorjee Tseten, director of Students for a Free Tibet, said in a statement.

The group complained of heavy police deployment across several areas where many Tibetans-in-exile live - especially Majnu ka Tilla, which is one of the earliest and largest of these settlements.

“There are too many policemen who are restricting our right to free speech and right to protest by keeping us caged inside our homes,” said Tenzin Jogkpa, a resident of the area. “At the same time, they allowed the Shiv Sena to exercise their right and protest against the visit. This is discrimination.”

Some Shiv Sena members were allowed to demonstrate near the Parliament on Sunday afternoon where they burnt an effigy of the Chinese Premier as they shouted ‘Go back, go back,’ in response to the escalation of tension at the border recently.

“The deployment is part of arrangements which have been made to keep the law and order situation in check during the visit. We cannot afford to take any chances since the country’s reputation is at stake,” said a police officer.