Dharamshala — A Tibetan father of four who set himself on fire to protest a heavy paramilitary deployment at Tawu township, died on Thursday.
On Wednesday, May 20th, 2015 at 8pm, Tenzin Gyatso self-immolated as a protest to the strict paramilitary and police force in the area, Yama Tsering, a monk from Gaden Monastery in South India told the Tibet Post International (TPI).
"Following his self-immolation, monks and local Tibetans gathered at his residence to offer traditional prayers," sorces said, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the sources, "the Chinese authorities secretly cremated his body in Dhartsedho township and but two of his family members were asked to collect his body on the next day, Thursday at 3pm."
However, his family members fear that "the authorities will cremate his body there, and will return just a part of the ashes."
Because in the past when some families tried to reclaim self-immolator's body, the authorities often refused and instead gave the family the ashes, saying that his/her remains have already been cremated.
Tenzin Gyatso is from Kungsar town in Kham Tawu, eastern Tibet. He is 35 years old. His wife's name is Sonam Dolma. He has three sons and one daughter. The three boys are named Tsewang Gyatso, Thupten and Topden. The daughter is named Tsering Tsolmo.
His self-immolation was a protest against the Chinese police's harsh and strict policies over the area. So much so, about 15 Tibetans from different towns have been arrested, including four women namely Tashi Dolma, Tsering, Choetso and Rinzin Lhamo.
The Tibetans are constantly beaten while in detention, had their hair cut, and receive one cup of porridge per day. After one week of unwarranted detainment, they are released. Tenzin Gyatso found the harsh police action to be unbearable, and self-immolated.
There had been some media reports that Chinese police crackdown in the area has come due to Chinese fear of Tibetans celebrating the 80th birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Due to this, local Chinese officials have been placed in the area to distribute Chinese propaganda and prevent Tibetans from celebrating, and police have been armed and spread throughout the region and in the monastery, often beating locals for no reason.