A Tibetan monk poured himself with gasoline and set himself on fire in Kathmandu on Wednesday (February 13) as an attempt to commit self-immolation to protest Chinese rule in Tibet.

Police official Keshav Adhikari said the man, who is about 21 years old and is yet to be identified, went inside a cafe, poured gasoline on himself and set himself on fire before police and locals were able to put out the fire and rush him to the hospital. A local eyewitness said that after lighting himself on fire, he ran a few steps chanting slogans against China before he collapsed on the ground. He is in critical condition and being treated at the Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital.

Security has been tightened in the area around Boudhanath in the northeastern edge of Kathmandu where most of the Tibetan exiles live and home to Buddhist temples and monasteries.

Nearly 100 Tibetan monks, nuns and lay people have set themselves on fire in various countries, mostly in ethnic Tibetan areas inside China, since 2009. And the recent incident is the first case of ‘self-immolation’ by a Tibetan in Nepal according to Metropolitan Police Circle, Boudha.

Thousands of Tibetan exiles live in Nepal and occasionally protest against China. The Nepalese government has banned such protests, saying it cannot allow any activities against any friendly nation to take place in Nepal.