Dharamshala — Tibetan activist Tsering Tharchin began his peace march for Tibet’s independence titled as, "Rangzen Yatra" from Dharamshala to New Delhi on Thursday. It is to pay tribute to Tibetan martyr Lobga Rangzen, who self-immolated outside the United Nations headquarters in New York, on July 2, to protest against China's colonial rule in Tibet. It also aims to draw attention from people and the government of India, international governments and NGOs on the critical issues facing by Tibetan people inside the Tibet, under the Chinese occupation.
Tsering Tharchin, a Tibetan activist and member of the Regional Tibetan Youth Congress Dharamshala began his peace march titled “Rangzen Yatra” on August 20, 2026 from Dharamshala. The "Rangzen Yatra or Azad Yatra" launched by Sikyong Penpa Tsering, Central Tibetan Administration, at the Police Ground, following mass peach march from McLeod Ganj to Dharamshala by over 5000 Tibetans and Tibet supporters including foreigners and Indians.
Tharchin will march through Kangra, Amb, Una, Mohali, Panchkula, Chandigarh, Ambala, Karnal and Sonipat on his way to Delhi. He stated that he would distribute leaflets about Tibet to the Indian public along the way to raise their awareness of the Tibetan issue; he would also meet with leaders and members of parliament to urge them to support the Tibetan issue and stand with the Tibetans. If conditions permit, he will also hold a press conference.
Tharchen said, "This Rangzen Yatra is a tribute to Tibetan martyr Lobga Rangzen, who self-immolated outside the United Nations headquarters in New York on July 2, 2026, to protest against China's colonial rule in Tibet, and to all the martyrs who have sacrificed their precious lives for Tibetan freedom and dignity.
"Through this march, I want to draw the kind attention of the people and the Government of India, international governments and NGOs and peace loving people to the life-and-death situation of Tibet under Chinese occupation. As a record, In seventy-six years of Chinese occupation of Tibet, China killed more than a million Tibetans, destroyed over 6,000 monasteries, looted millions of dollars worth of Tibetan wealth including priceless treasures and natural resources to feed Chinese industries. It also dammed and diverted Tibetan rivers for industries and data centres in China.
"Since Xi Jinping came to power, the level of repression in Tibet has been intensified. China has pursued policies aimed at eradicating Tibetan identity by forcefully assimilating Tibetans especially children into Chinese culture. For example, policies such as the Sinicisation of Tibetan Buddhism and expansion of colonial-style boarding schools and the so-called 'Ethnic Unity Law' are nothing but a death sentence to Tibetans as a distinct people. Such policies are intentionally made to systematically erase Tibetan language, culture and identity in order to solidify Chinese colonial rule in Tibet. It criminalizes the promotion of Tibetan culture in our homeland. This is genocide.
"Under these increasingly repressive circumstances in Tibet, His Holiness the Dalai Lama and the Tibetan Government in Exile remain the sole legitimate institutions to represent and safeguard the identity, dignity, and fundamental interests of the Tibetan people.
"Tibet is not only a Tibetan issue as it concerns freedom and justice over occupation and genocide. Everybody has an interest and stake in it, especially India. Therefore, through this march, I want to highlight these three important issues:
1. I am urging the international community, governments, organisations and people around the world to recognise the Tibetan Government-in-Exile (Central Tibetan Administration) as the legitimate and true representative of the Tibetan people, and to recognise Tibet as a historically independent nation under Chinese occupation.
2. Tibet historically has been a buffer between India and China. However, China's occupation and militarisation of Tibet, has not only changed it but also created unnecessary geopolitical conflicts including war and military aggressions against India. China has been using Tibet as a strategic platform to undermine India's security and development despite India's attempt to live in peace with China. By exploiting Tibet's historical and cultural ties with some regions in India like Ladakh and Arunachal, China makes illegal claims on Indian territories. The Tibet issue is not merely a matter of Tibetan freedom, but also one that is directly connected to India's national security and development. India has to spend the largest chunk of its defence budget to defend against threats from China and China-supported-Pakistan.
3. Rampant mining, large-scale dam construction, and river-diversion projects across Tibet's fragile ecosystem are causing profound environmental disruption, with consequences extending far beyond the Tibetan plateau. Such destructive activities disturb the ecological balance across the Himalayan region. Over the past decades, we have witnessed increasingly frequent and devastating climate-related disasters such as floods across the Himalayas. Through this campaign, I urge the international community to recognise Tibet's critical ecological importance and take meaningful action to protect its environment, rivers, glaciers, and fragile ecosystems from destructive and unsustainable exploitation in the name of development.
