The four-day march to Tibet by the Tibetans came to an end as the Kangra police held 100 marchers early Thursday morning. They have been arrested under sections 107 and 151 of the CrPC to prevent them from violating the legal provisions of the Foreigners Act, 1946. Among the arrested, six are women, including three nuns. The marchers, who had started at 5.30 am from Khabli near Dehra where they had camped for the night after offering prayers, were intercepted at Dehra bypass near Beas Bridge at 6.30 am . The police picked up poet activist Tenzin Tsundue first of all, and Additional Superintendent of Police Pritam Singh Thakur himself brought him to Jwalamukhi in his vehicle. Later, all the other marchers were brought to Jwalamukhi in police buses where they are being kept in Aggarwal Trust Sarai. However, the police kept Tenzin Tsundue separate from the other marchers at Jwalamukhi police station. Barring a dozen marchers, none of them resisted the police action. Only a few squatted on the road to resist their arrest. They were forcibly loaded in the buses. But most of the marchers cooperated with the police and boarded the police buses quietly. There were about 125 police personnel, including women cops. After being brought to Jwalamukhi, the marchers were medically examined. They refused to take food in the sarai and sat on hunger strike. March to Tibet had begun soon after the celebrations of the 49th anniversary of the National Tibet Uprising on March 10 from the main Buddhist temple in McLeodganj. March 10 was the day when National Tibetan Uprising was held in Lhasa. The march had been organised by five non-governmental organisations — Students of Free Tibet, Gu Chu Sum, a body of Tibetan political prisoners, Tibetan Women Association, Tibetan Youth Congress and the National Democratic Party of Tibet. Superintendent of Police Dr Atul Fulzele said the police had made preventive arrests according to the advisory received from the Central Government. He said in the capacity of Superintendent of Police-cum-Foreigners’ Registration Officer, Kangra district, he had issued formal notices on March 10 under the Foreigners Act to the marchers for not leaving the territorial jurisdiction of Kangra district till further orders. He said irrespective of this order, the Tibetans started with their march from Dharamsala on March 10. Efforts were made by the local administration and the police to sensitise the marchers about the aspects of violation of legal provisions and to persuade them not to carry on with their illegal activities. But they continued their march, said Fulzele.
