The Tibetans in Delhi have planned to organize a torch relay on Thursday 17 April on the other side of the city, alongside the Beijing Olympic torch relay. The motive of the Tibetan torch relay is to peacefully protest against the unfair treatment of China in respect to Tibet. It has been scheduled to take place from Mahatma Gandhi's memorial Rajghat to the Jantar Mantar Astronomical Observatory, both of which are major tourist landmarks in the heart of the capital.

 

The organizers estimate that about 5,000 people comprising the Tibetans as well as their supporters in India will take part in the Free Tibet torch relay. The other torch relay will take place to protest against Chinese atrocities in Tibet, said Tseten Norbu of the Tibetan Solidarity Committee (TSC) that is organizing the relay and other anti-China protests. He informed that reputed writer Arundhati Roy and politician George Fernandes will take part in the Tibetan torch relay. Jantar Mantar, where the relay will terminate, will get altered into ‘Little Tibet’ by the protestors on Thursday, Nordu said.

 

While the day of the Free Tibet torch relay is drawing close, protests against the Chinese government is already on in Delhi. On Monday 14 April, about 600 Tibetans in exile in India sat for a relay hunger strike at Jantar Mantar. The number of Tibetan people on the hunger strike is burgeoning with the day of the torch relay approaching. Protestors informed that a similar strike was on in Dharamsala where Dalai Lama resides. It was also informed by the organizers that the future course of action would be decided by them after the torch relay on Thursday.