By Nandini R Iyer
New Delhi, June 24 — India’s recognition of the Tibet Autonomous Region as a part of the territory of China has security agencies worried about potential unrest in pockets of India where a large number of Tibetans reside.
“Normalisation of relations between the two countries is a welcome development, no doubt. But it also means security agencies will have to step up their activities to encompass the change in Sino-Indian equations,” a government official said.
Intelligence agencies, for example, have begun preparing for the multi-disciplinary action committee meeting — the home ministry will be the nodal agency — scheduled after Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, returns. Among the primary concerns is the fear that there may be an increase in localised activity among Tibetan nationals.
“Those who are for free Tibet view themselves as freedom fighters and so far they have been relatively comfortable about the asylum which India has been traditionally providing to them,” an official said. “That might change now.”
Recalling an incident in the late 1990s when a Tibetan refugee in Delhi, Thubten Knordup, had set himself on fire, he said: “About 500 vehicles filled with Tibetans, mostly students had accompanied his funeral procession to Dharmasala for the last rites …They revere him as a freedom fighter who gave his life for the cause.”
“The Chinese media is highlighting India’s concession on TAR and that will naturally heighten the sense of insecurity felt by Tibetan nationals here,” the officer said. “It is easy to inflame sentiments and create mob situations when people – rightly or wrongly – feel threatened”.
At present, there are large concentrations of Tibetan nationals in Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, north Bihar and Delhi. There are also smaller pockets in Uttaranchal and Uttar Pradesh.
“While the agreements that have been worked out in Beijing during the Prime Minister’s visit speaks volumes for the future tone of Sino-Indian relations, we will certainly have a lot more work to do,’ said a security official said.
That will include alerting the local police in these seven states and strengthening the intelligence gathering set-up in all areas where Tibetans abound. Among measures being considered for immediate implementation are “deployment of more staff and sophisticated equipment” not to mention increasing the amount of source money (paid to informants), a government official said.
