`The police treated us worse than animals'

 Tibetan students at MSU claim they were treated brutally by Vadodara police; cops sayround up was preventive action to stop them from holding protests during Chinese prez's visit

Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to Ahmedabad has the city on its toes but the Tibetan community in the state is not very happy. To start with, the Tibetan Youth Congress' Gujarat Chapter is miffed that the police has ignored their request to hold peaceful protests on Wednesday in the city. On the other hand, the crackdown on Tibetan students in MSU carried out by Vadodara police has left the community furious.

The students have alleged that they were “treated like animals by the police“. “The cops came to the campus and rounded up students of Tibetan origin. They claimed that they were taking them away for verification, but everyone knows the truth. This is because the Chinese president is visiting the state on Wednesday,“ a stu dent said.

In the past, Tibe tan students in the state have conduct ed several anti-Chi nese protests and marches to uphold the Tibetan cause. Accord ing to sources, Vadodara police took away some students residing in the NV Hall of MSU hostel on Tuesday evening.

Tenzin, one of the students living in NV Hall, said, “The police treated us in an inhuman manner. They rounded up my friends and me and took us away without explaining why they were doing it. We are here to study, not to be part of any protests. They wouldn't even let us explain.“

The university authorities played it safe and said that the cops must have some information based on which they must have initiated action. Amit Dholakia, in-charge registrar at MSU, said, “The police must have some information regarding some activities involving these students. So they must have initiated preventive action ahead of the Chinese president's visit.“

Meanwhile, the police claimed that they had not detained anyone and that the action will be taken after assessment of each student. E Radhakrishnan, Vadodara police chief, said, “These students are planning some kind of protest rally. We are just taking preventive measures.“ According to the sources all the students were taken to the police headquarters at Pratapnagar.

Topgyal had also alleged that since requesting permission to hold protests, he was being “harassed by the police“. He alleges that cops were keeping a tab on his movements and that of his associates.

Tibetan student's association of Baroda, which comprises of Tibetan students at MSU, along with TYC is planning to hold protests in Ahmedabad meant to highlight issues like Tibet crises, human rights violation and territorial conflict in Arunachal Pradesh.