Tibetan father and son severely beaten by Chinese police in restive Driru County
DHARAMSALA, May 14: A Tibetan father has been rushed to Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) People’s Hospital in Lhasa on May 8 in critical condition with severe injuries after Chinese police officers in civilian dress beat him and his mentally challenged son in a restive Tibetan County.
While Namgayal Tenzin, aged 53 and his son Petse were on a stroll on May 7 at around 11 pm (local time) in restive Driru County in traditional Kham Province’s Nagchu Prefecture (now incorporated into TAR), two unidentified men attacked and beat them severely, leaving them with serious bodily injuries.
On hearing about the incident, relatives and family members immediately rushed Namgyal Tenzin in a critical condition to a hospital in Driru where, upon examination, he was found to have suffered a broken backbone, a damaged kidney and injuries all over his body.
When he was taken to Nagchu People’s Hospital at around 6 am (local time) on May 8, the doctors advised him to be taken to be taken to Lhasa for emergency treatment, calling his injuries life-threatening.
Currently, the father-son duo are being examined and treated at TAR People’s Hospital in Lhasa.
Upon learning that the two men who beat them were policemen, Namgyal Tenzin’s daughter along her husband and several other local Tibetans went to the Driru County police station and asked why they were beaten and what law they have broken to deserve such action. They also told the policemen that even if they have broken any law, they should be dealt with according to the law rather than physically assaulting them.
The policemen replied that Namgyal Tenzin called them Gyugkhyi ( Tib: running dogs of the Chinese government) and arrogantly challenged them to a fight ‘if they had the nerve to do so’.
However, the Namgyal Tenzin refuted the statement made by the police and said that the two men were not in their police uniform and since, it was dark and their faces couldn’t be recognized, there was no need for him and his son to call strangers Gyugkhyi.
The two policemen have not been booked or penalised, leaving the Tibetans feeling disappointed and discriminated. The Tibetans also question the Chinese government’s so called ‘rule of law’ if the law enforcers themselves indulge in violating the law by not valuing Tibetan lives and arbitrarily beating Tibetans as per their whims and fancies, and worse still, if they are provided impunity by the authorities concerned.
