Delhi Police Detain Five as Tibetan Groups Protest Xi Jinping’s Visit Before BRICS Summit

New Delhi: Delhi Police detained five people on Friday, September 11, 2026, as Tibetan groups in the national capital protested against Chinese President Xi Jinping’s visit to India for the BRICS Summit. The summit is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi on September 12 and 13.

Around 7:30 a.m., three members of Students for Free Tibet (SFT) climbed poles inside an underpass near Bharat Mandapam. They waved the Tibetan flag and banners carrying slogans such as “Xi Jinping=Genocide” and “Tibet is facing ecocide: Free Tibet”. The three were identified as Karma Dolma (24), Tenzin Nordon (23) and Tenzin Tsephal (26).

Tenzin Passang, national director of SFT, said the banner action was carried out to condemn Xi Jinping’s visit. He said the group challenged Beijing’s narrative on multilateral cooperation and urged BRICS leaders to confront what he described as China’s “illegal occupation of Tibet”, which, he alleged, had led to its control over Asia’s major river systems, systemic human rights violations and expanding border aggression.

The three students were placed under preventive detention until September 14 and taken to Tihar jail. Two others — Harshit, a student, and Kasang, a mediaperson with Tibet Radio — were also detained while allegedly taking pictures of the incident.

Later, around 10 a.m., a peaceful protest was held at Majnu Ka Tila in north Delhi against the Chinese President’s visit. Scores of Tibetans from Delhi and States such as Karnataka, Odisha and Himachal Pradesh attended.

Acharya Yeshi Phuntsok, former deputy speaker of the Tibetan Parliament-in-exile, said the community was not against the BRICS Summit and congratulated India for hosting it. “However, we want to say that Xi Jinping is not welcome here,” he said, alleging that China had for decades violated the human rights of Tibetan people through state-sanctioned violence and environmental damage caused by uncontrolled engineering on the Tibetan plateau. He also alleged that China’s Ethnic Unity and Progress law sought to legitimise the suppression of Tibetan language, culture and religion.

The protest began with the singing of the Tibetan national anthem, Gyallu, followed by speakers. Tenzin Lobsang, general secretary of the Tibetan Youth Congress, said the Ethnic Unity law had further intensified the marginalisation of Tibetans’ distinct cultural identity. He said Tibetan martyr Lobga Rangzen self-immolated before the United Nations Headquarters after the law was imposed on July 1, 2026, for the cause of Tibet, which he described as a tragic reminder of China’s repression. So far, around 170 people have self-immolated in protest, he said.

Tsering Wangmo, a vendor from Himachal Pradesh, said the Chinese government had been carrying out major violations of the human rights of Tibetan people for generations. “Tibetan communities have been facing suppression of our culture and language. Nearly one lakh Tibetans are in exile. We want a free Tibet and want the Chinese government to stop violating the rights of Tibetan people,” she said.

Tenzin Tsering, a 32-year-old store owner in Delhi who grew up in Karnataka, said that despite 60 years of exile, the Tibetan community in India had not forgotten the massive displacements of decades ago. “In fact, the younger generations coming up are more active politically and want to know more about Tibetan culture and make efforts to preserve it. They have access to all the resources the earlier generations did not have,” he said.

The protest was organised under the banner of the Tibetan Youth Congress and took place amid heavy police deployment. Niharika Bhatt, Deputy Commissioner of Police (North), said the police held talks with community leaders and resident welfare associations to dissuade them. “However, it was decided that the protest will take place only inside the Samyeling Tibetan Colony school and the protest march will be held only until 700 metres and not beyond Punjabi Basti,” she said.

The BRICS Summit is scheduled to be held at Bharat Mandapam on September 12 and 13.