47 Tibetans trying to enter Tibet sent back to HP

Darchula, Jun 17 (UNI) A group of 47 Tibetan marchers were today sent back to Himachal Pradesh after they tried to enter Tibet from the border town of Darchula in Pithoragarh district here, police said, thus putting a probable end to their long march to freedom.

The police boarded them on a bus to Himachal Pradesh at 1010 hrs this morning. No incidents of manhandling were reported.

Five Tibetan NGO's had spearheaded the 'Return March to Tibet' on March 10 which consisted of more than 300 monks, nuns and commoners who walked 1,300 km traversing through Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

A group of 50 marchers had yesterday reached the last leg of their journey and a joint press conference called by Tibetan organisations in Dehradun yesterday urged the support of the Indian Government and the state government to support their endeavour.

Though a non-violent movement, at least 260 marchers, including presidents of the five NGOs had earlier been arrested but subsequently released after a Haridwar court ruled in their favour.

UNI PB GT UCS1743