Chandigarh, 12.04.26-: Followers of the Nobel Peace Prize laureate Dalai Lama, under the banner of the Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), brought their “Black Hat March” to Chandigarh today. The march, which began from McLeod Ganj—the headquarters of the Tibetan government-in-exile in Dharamshala—is being carried out as a protest against Chinese rule in Tibet.

The marchers demonstrated from Panjab University to the Sector 17 Plaza in Chandigarh. TYC President Tsering Chomphel Golog stated that the Black Hat March is a protest against China’s illegal occupation of Tibet and its continuous attempts to erase Tibetan identity. Through policies such as the Ethnic Unity Law, colonial-style boarding schools, and the forced imposition of the Chinese language over Tibetan, Tibetan citizens are facing a deliberate and systematic destruction of their culture, language, and heritage.

He further added that the march will proceed to the United Nations office in New Delhi. During the protest, participants raised slogans such as “Stop Forced Assimilation,” “Repeal the Ethnic Unity Law,” “Raise Your Voice,” “Release the Panchen Lama and all political prisoners,” “Tibet is not a colony for resource exploitation,” “Stop environmental destruction,” along with “Long Live India” and “Thank You India.”