By Tenzin Monlam
DHARAMSHALA, FEB 26: A young Tibetan monk of Kirti Monastery was arrested on Saturday evening following a solo protest in the restive Ngaba town.
Lobsang Tsultrim carried out his protest at around 8:30 p.m. (local Time) on Saturday holding high a portrait of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader the Dalai Lama over his head while shouting slogans. A video shot from a moving car being circulated on the Internet shows Lobsang walking on the street and two uniformed policemen pushing him to the ground before taking him away.
As of now, his whereabouts and his condition are unknown. However, sources confirm that the protest did take place and that he was arrested.
With just two days to go for the Tibetan New Year and the approaching month of March, considered politically sensitive due to the Tibetan uprising anniversary, the latest solitary protest may lead to further intensification of control and clampdown in the region already under heavy monitoring.
A hotbed for anti government protests over the years, Ngaba County has witnessed the first of many self-immolations since 2009.
