Tibetans in Chennai protest against deletion of scenes in Rockstar

Tibetan students in Chennai today voiced their protest against the censor board's reported deletion of scenes showing their national flag, in the Ranbir Kapoor-starrer Rockstar which is to be released tomorrow.

The Censor Board has chopped off scenes in a song, which shows the Tibetan national flag. It shows the Chinese influence on the Indian democratic principles, Rinchen Namgyal, President of Tibetan Students' Association of Madras told reporters here.

Rockstar initially showed the Tibetan national flag being waved in a crowd, before it went to the Censor Board. The song was shot in Dharamsala of Himachal Pradesh, the town where Tibetan leader the 14th Dalai Lama settled, after he fled China in 1959.

"We have expressed our concerns to the Chairman of Central Board of Film Certification through mails. But, there was no response from their side," Namgyal said.

Also known as the 'Free Tibet Flag,' the Tibetan flag was originally introduced by the 13th Dalai Lama in 1912.

There are over 185 Tibetans in Chennai, Tenzin Phuntsok, another Tibetan student, said.