Tamil police hurled vulgar abuses to pull out Tibetan students from college hostel ahead of Chinese president’s visit

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Police preventing Tibetans from protesting outside the ITC Grand Chola hotel in Chennai on Friday, October 11, 2019. (Photo courtesy: Vivek Narayanan)

(TibetanReview.net, Oct22’19) – While the police in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu were professional in their detention of Tibetan poet and independence activist Mr Tenzin Tsundue ahead of the arrival of Chinese President Xi Jinping for his informal Oct 11-12 summit with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as he had intended to stage a peaceful protest, the same courtesy did not extend to other Tibetans, including those who had no plans to protest.

What appeared to have made the difference was in the case of Tenzin Tsundue they were acting under orders from New Delhi.

He was taken into custody from Puducherry on Oct 5 and handed over to Villupuram police to be then taken to Puzhal Prison in Chennai the next day. He was released only Oct 15, three days after Xi had left the country.

“The entire police force had my picture and details. They were prepared and claimed they were doing this on instructions of Delhi,” Tsundue has said in an interview published by newindianexpress.com Oct 21.

Besides him, a number Tibetan students studying in colleges in the state were also detained at different times, including many who had no plans to protest because they had exams.

“Students lodged with me said they were pulled from hostel rooms by cops who abused them with vulgar words. These students had no intention to protest and were arrested only because they were Tibetans. Students missed their exams,” Tsundue has said in the interview.

Newspaper reports also showed Tibetan college girls detained in a hostel room for the duration of Xi’s visit.

Tamil Nadu police made sure there was a blanket cover and arrested anyone who was remotely looking like Tibetans, Tsundue has added.

The story was the same when Xi next paid a state visit to Nepal over Oct 12-13. Even people wearing, carrying, or selling ‘Free Tibet’ T-shirts and bags were arrested. Many of them were citizens of Nepal. The country’s human Rights activists were also not spared.

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