Exiled Tibetans continue their protests across the country

Mumbai/Dharamshala/New Delhi, Apr 17 : With few hours remaining for the New Delhi leg of the Olympic torch relay, exiled Tibetans are continuing with their protests and demonstrations against the Chinese crackdown in Tibet across the country.

Tibetan protesters, including monks, have started converging at Rajghat, from where they have planned a parallel torch relay to Jantar Mantar.

In Mumbai, the Chinese Consulate has been barricaded and at least 100 police personnel have been posted outside both the consulate gates to combat any kind of protest by the Tibetans.

Meanwhile, the Prime Minister of the Tibetan government-in-exile based in Dharamshala, Samdhong Rinpoche has appealed to the protesters to maintain peace.

Despite heavy security arrangements, Tibetans protested against the arrival of the Olympic torch in New Delhi from Islamabad early on Thursday morning. They shouted anti-China slogans like 'Justice for Tibet' and 'We want freedom'.

Police arrested the protestors who tried to break the security barrier and enter the hotel Le Meridien, where the torch is being kept.

The Olympic torch, 72-centemetre long and weighing 985 grams, was flown to New Delhi in a specially designed flight from Islamabad. The plane landed at Palam technical area at 1.10 a.m.

After New Delhi, the torch relay, which started on April 1, goes to Bangkok on April 19 and Kuala Lumpur on April 21 and then Australia. It will arrive back in China on May 4, having covered 137,000 kilometers.

ANI