A Tibetan father of three on Thursday evening set himself on fire in China's northwestern region of Gansu, a Buddhist community,  in what is considered to be a radical protest for the return of the Dalai Lama from India.

Tashi Rabten, 33, set himself ablaze on the street of Machu County while protesting against Chinese policies on the Tibetan community. He shouted slogans like "long live his holiness the Dalai Lama" and "His holiness the Dalai Lama return to Tibet," according to a publication.

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Chinese authorities then took the charred body on Thursday. The following day, Rabten's family members went to authorities to claim his remain; however, they were detained by police officials instead.

A report by the South China Morning Post stated that early efforts to gather information from the officials had proven to be futile after calls went unanswered. 

Meanwhile, an anonymous source told Tibet Post-International however that Rabten's younger cousin also set herself on fire in 2012 with a similar plea against the Chinese rule.

The source stated that although he died in the act, Chinese officials demanded that his family attribute the incident to family issues. This is, however, a short-lived solution since Rabten had earlier written a letter detailing the reason for his radical outcry.

The Hong Kong Free Post noted that the current Dalai Lama is considered a threat to the Chinese society as he has been blamed for similar incidents of Tibetans setting themselves on fire. The current Dalai Lama, however, defended himself and stressed that the actions, although they come from a genuine place, should not be encouraged.

Rabten's "spiritual suicide" has been the 146th of its kind since 2009. Of the total count, 23 are said to have survived.

Tagschina, Tibet, China Dalai Lama, Tibet Suicide