Tibetans organise protest march in Shimla to mark 61st Uprising Day

Members of the exiled Tibetan community held a protest march in Himachal Pradesh's capital Shimla on Tuesday on the occasion of the 61st anniversary of their Uprising Day against China back in 1959.

Under the banner of Regional chapter of the Tibetan Youth Congress in Shimla, scores of Tibetans, including students, Buddhist monks, and women participated in the protest march, urging the international community to support Tibetan issue and put pressure on China.

The nearly seven kilometre long protest march started from Panthaghati and ended in the main town. The demonstrators raised the slogan against the Chinese government and demanded freedom for Tibet, and held placards and banners displaying the same.

"We are protesting against the illegal occupation of Tibet by China. This is the least we can do and we will continue to raise our voice for as long as we have to," said a protester.

On March 10 in 1959, thousands of Tibetans gathered in Lhasa to protect their leader Dalai Lama from perceived threats of the Chinese Army. The protest was brutally suppressed, causing the death of thousands of people.

Following this, the then 23-year-old Dalai Lama along with thousands of Tibetans secretly fled into exile in India. The demonstration was later named as the Tibetan Uprising.