Heavy Snow Forces Tibetan Peace Marcher to Turn Back Near Sershu
By Tenzin Chokyi
DHARAMSALA, 15 Oct: Tibetan peace marcher Kalsang Tharchin was stopped by Himachal Pradesh Police about four kilometres from Sershu on Thursday over safety concerns as he made his way towards Baralacha La Pass amid heavy snowfall.
In a video update posted on his Facebook account, Tharchin explained that he had planned to reach Baralacha La because there were no settlements along the route where he could find shelter for the night. Having set out without bedding materials, he needed to reach an inhabited area where he could rest.
However, following the police warning over safety concerns, Tharchin said he had to turn back towards Sershu and planned to resume the march on Friday if weather conditions improved.
Tharchin is on the return leg of a peace march he began on 15 July from Dharamsala to raise awareness about the preservation of the Tibetan language and cultural identity. He reached the Tibetan settlement of Choglamsar in Leh on 17 August after covering approximately 800 kilometres across challenging Himalayan terrain.
He resumed the march towards Dharamsala on 8 October from the Dalai Lama’s residence, Shewatsel Phodrang, in Leh.
Alongside advocating for the preservation of the Tibetan language, Tharchin is protesting China’s “Law on Promoting Ethnic Unity and Progress” and honouring Pawo (Martyr) Lobga Rangzen, the Tibetan independence activist who self-immolated outside the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 2 July.
The law, which came into effect on 1 July 2026, has drawn international criticism amid concerns that it provides a legal framework for assimilationist policies that seek to subsume the distinct national, linguistic and cultural identities of Tibetans, Uyghurs, Mongolians and other oppressed communities under a unified Chinese national identity.
