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| The Indian capital was on high alert for attempts to disrupt the torch procession [AFP] |
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The Olympic torch for the summer games in Beijing has arrived in India's capital amid demonstrations against China by Tibetan exiles.
Indian Olympic officials greeted the flame as it landed at a military airport in New Delhi early on Thursday.
It was then taken along a route lined with hundreds of police to spend the night at a hotel.
There have been a series of protests across India - the heart of the world's Tibetan exile community - in recent weeks by Tibetan exiles opposing Beijing's rule in Tibet.
More than 20 Tibetan exiles protested along a busy highway as the torch made its way into town, chanting anti-China slogans.
Several of them were forcibly detained and taken away in police vans.
India 'tiptoeing'
Matt McClure, Al Jazeera's correspondent in New Delhi, said: "Authorities are sort of tiptoeing a tightrope if you would.
"India is obviously the world's largest democracy, protests are a regular part of life here, but they are also eager not to offend their Chinese neighbours as they try to expand trade ties.
"The route has been shortened and every effort has been made to prevent any disruption of the event."
The torch has been beset by protests through Europe and the Americas, mostly over a Chinese crackdown in Tibet.
Tibetans planned to hold a parallel torch relay on Thursday to protest against Chinese action and demand Tibet's independence.
The Dalai Lama, Tibet's spiritual leader, meanwhile, has voiced his support for the Beijing Games and has urged Tibetans to desist from disrupting the torch relay.
The torch was in neighbouring Pakistan on Wednesday.
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Al Jazeera and agencies
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