Tibetan student, who attempted self-immolation, dies

 New Delhi, July 23

A 19-year-old Tibetan student, who had attempted self-immolation on a university campus in Varanasi demanding a “free Tibet”, has succumbed to his injuries in a hospital here, a doctor said on Sunday.

Tenzin Choeying, a student of the Central University of Tibetan Studies in Varanasi, succumbed to his burn injuries at the Safdarjung Hospital yesterday.

“He died yesterday, days after he was shifted here from a Varanasi hospital for specialised treatment,” said a senior doctor of the Safdarjung Hospital.

He added that the body would be handed over to the authorities after post-mortem.

According to the police, Choeying had set himself ablaze on July 14 on the university campus, while protesting against the Chinese rule in Tibet, and was being treated at a Varanasi hospital, before being shifted to Delhi.

The police in Varanasi had said that as per the accounts of eyewitnesses, Choeying shouted “freedom” before pouring kerosene on his body and setting himself ablaze.

The police were looking at every possibility which led the Tibetan student to take the extreme step, including failure in examinations.

According to the International Campaign for Tibet, 150 Tibetans have self-immolated since 2009. — PTI