[Reader-list] Olympic Torch to face Freedom Torch in India

[Bikash Ballabh Singh]

Tibetans and their support groups in India are planning to hold parallel
torch march on April 17, coinciding with the Olympic Torch relay run in New
Delhi. The 'Freedom Torch' march will be taken out in eight Indian cities
including the capital.
**
 THERE WOULD be a parallel torch relay march in several Indian cities the
same day when the Olympic Torch relay run would take place. Tibetan support
groups and Tibetans residing in India have planned these marches in seven or
eight cities. Mumbai, Bangalore, Chennai, Chandigarh, Dharamshala are on
their radar besides New Delhi. The main show will be, obviously, in the
capital.

Informed sources claim that more than one thousand Tibetans will be present
in the march everywhere. "We will try to keep our march peaceful in all the
cities. In fact, the Tibet issue has already achieved so much publicity this
time that we don't need to do anything drastic," they say.

But, the young Tibetans, in a way, are somewhat unpredictable in nature. All
support groups accept this. When contacted, co-convener of the Core Group
for Tibetan Cause, Vijay Kranti said, "If government of India resorts to
preventive arrests of Tibetan people in the name of smooth Olympic Torch
relay run, the young Tibetans will be provoked, as we have seen in the
past."

In Delhi, Tibetans will be demanding Jantar-Mantar for their parallel torch
show. The government may hesitate to allot this place to them, as it is only
one km away from the Rajpath, where the Olympic Torch relay run will be on
and where the security agencies are planning for a very heavy deployment.

Can the unpredictability of younger lot of Tibetans be provoked by the
refusal of allotment of Jantar-Mantar area to them for their march in New
Delhi? No one has the correct answer. Kranti says, "If the government
threatens them by resorting to preventive arrests, if it doesn't allow their
march on Jantar-Mantar and if India allows Chinese guards to run with the
Olympic Torch, we cannot predict the result. We can only say that the
Freedom Torch march will be peaceful."

"India should not allow the Chinese policemen to run with the Olympic Torch
in the name of its security. It will be shameful for our country. India
should come forward to announce that our agencies are capable for the
security of the Olympic Torch," he asserted.

Source: http://www.merinews.com/catFull.jsp?articleID=132157