During his stay in India the Dalai Lama had invited Nehru to Lhasa and the prime minister had accepted the invitation. But when the time for the visit came in 1958, Beijing scuttled it on the plea that in view of disturbed conditions it was not safe to go there. Nehru went to Bhutan instead — on horseback, in the absence of any other mode of transport.

China’s reasons to keep Nehru away from Tibet were understandable. For, by then rebellion had spread to southern and central Tibet, and the rampant discontent in Lhasa was aggravated by rumours that the Chinese government was going to invite the Dalai Lama to Beijing (then called Peking) ostensibly to attend a meeting of the National People’s Congress but actually to “hold him hostage”. The invitation never came. But it was an invitation of a different kind that brought matters to a head.

In the first week of March, the Chinese Military Headquarters in Lhasa invited the Dalai Lama to a dramatic performance on March 10. Twenty-four hours before the show, the military authorities sent a message that the Dalai Lama should come alone and no Tibetan troops should cross the military camp’s boundary. This infuriated Lhasa’s inhabitants who feared that the Chinese might arrest the Dalai Lama and fly him to Beijing. Since early morning on March 10, therefore, huge crowds shouting anti-Chinese slogans surrounded the Dalai Lama’s residence. Violence began when some “Chinese spies” were seen to be joining the protesters, and escalated over the next few days. Late on the evening of March 17, the Dalai Lama, with some members of his family, advisers and bodyguards slipped out and managed to reach the relative safety of the rebel areas. Khampa soldiers then escorted him on his hazardous journey to India. Later, it became known that in his escape, the Dalai Lama had some help from the CIA. On March 31, he crossed into India border near Khinzemane. The next day his request for asylum was formally accepted. Informally, however, those approaching India on his behalf some days earlier had been assured that this would be done. After the Dalai Lama’s departure, the People’s Liberation Army went into action and brutally crushed the revolt. The loss of life was heavy.

... contd.