Delhi Police had to swing quickly into action on Tuesday afternoon to nab about 27 Tibetans as they attempted to take out their own torch relay on the route of the Olympic flame run here to demonstrate against Chinese atrocities in their homeland.
New Delhi, Apr.15 : Delhi Police had to swing quickly into action on Tuesday afternoon to nab about 27 Tibetans as they attempted to take out their own "torch relay" on the route of the Olympic flame run here to demonstrate against Chinese "atrocities" in their homeland.
Twenty-seven Tibetans, including nine women, managed to run almost the entire stretch of Rajpath, the designated route for the April 17 Olympic torch relay, and entered into a minor clash with the police as they attempted to douse the flame.
The protesters suddenly emerged on Rajpath, about a kilometre from Rashtrapati Bhavan from where the relay is scheduled to start, at around 3:00 p.m. and started running towards India Gate, where the original run is to culminate.
However, police intervened and doused the torch. Security was immediately intensified in the area.
In the melee, a police officer and a woman protester suffered minor burn injuries.
All 27 Tibetans were arrested, a senior police official said.
Meanwhile, Bollywood actor Soha Ali Khan on Tuesday said that she would not taking part in the Olympic torch relay for "strong personal reasons."
"I fully support the Olympic relay and am saddened at the disruptions in its path in various parts of the world as well as the violence in Tibet. But I can't run due to strong personal reasons," Soha told reporters.
On suggestions from sports fraternity that only sportspersons should run the Olympic torch relay, Soha said representatives from various fields belonging to the country through which torch relay passes, should be welcomed to run.
ANI