By IANS,
Dharamsala : A Himachal Pradesh court has fined office-bearers of Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), the largest pro-independence group in exile, for holding a protest here against China without the permission of the authorities, an official said here Friday.
The TYC activists burned Chinese flag in the protest Feb 20 in McLeodganj, where the Tibetan government-in-exile in based.
Police booked TYC office bearers – Dhundup Ladhar, Tenzin Chokey, Pema Tsering and Tenzin Norsang.
“The TYC office bearers were produced in the chief judicial magistrate’s court Thursday. It imposed a total penalty of Rs.1,000 on each accused,” Additional Superintendent of Police Nihal Chand told IANS.
The TYC held a worldwide protest Feb 20 across Tibetan settlements against the clampdown by Chinese security forces in the Tibet Autonomous Region, resulting in several deaths.
Tibetan parliament-in-exile Speaker Penpa Tsering had objected to the burning of the Chinese flag, saying it can hurt the sentiments of the Chinese people.
“We are against China’s leaders, not its people. The red flag is a symbol of China. We have to respect it at all costs,” he said.
Over 100,000 Tibetans are settled in India.