On Wednesday, a senior Chinese official responsible for Tibet praised development in the Himalayan region, led by China He gave out a statement saying that those who accuse China of violating human rights in Tibet have been “bewitched” by the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual leader.

The remarks along with a report by China's Cabinet came following a disclosure report from the United States severely criticising Chinese hold of Tibet. US government issued this on Monday accusing China of impeding the American diplomats and officials’ visit to the region and for restraining journalists from making independent assessments of Tibetan people’s lives in 2018. The report also revealed that on the approved official visits, Chinese security personnel followed the US diplomats closely and blocked access to certain areas even outside the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Among the major critics of Chinese control over Tibet is the United States, which say that China rules authoritatively and abuse people’s rights.

Tibet’s executive vice governor Norbu Dondrup also rubbished human rights violation complaints with respect to Tibet stating the human rights situation was quite good in Tibet as can be noticed by free medical care and abundant availability of food.

Dondrup reviewed development in the region in terms of economy, health care and education since 1959, which marks 60 years since the suppression of an uprising against Communist’s rule. He was very critical of the self-declared government-in-exile established by Buddhist leader the Dalai Lama as illegitimate.

Dalai Lama is on exile in India since he crossed the border on March 31, 1959, after a failed uprising against the Chinese rule. China vituperates the Dalai Lama as the government sees him as a dangerous separatist.

Dondrup said that Tibetan society was “very dark and very cruel” before the Chinese rule, as any ordinary person - or “serfs” - could be bought and sold, thrown in jail, or even killed, during the Dalai Lama rule.

He added, “The Dalai Lama attacking our human rights totally has ulterior motives. He tramples on human rights, and has no right, no qualifications, and is unworthy of talking about human rights.

“As for some countries slamming our human rights, they either don’t understand or believe the Dalai clique’s rumours and bewitchments.”

China claimed that it ‘peacefully liberated’ Tibet in 1950 and has since put in enormous effort to bring reforms in the remote region to develop it at par with the modern era, abolishing age-old feudal practices. Moreover, the communist state also claimed to be taking steps to protect the region’s Buddhist people’s right to preserve their culture and freely practise their religion.

In an interview with the Reuters held last week, the Dalai Lama said that there was a possibility that his incarnation could be found in India after his demise. He also warned that any other successor declared by China would not be respected as he “anticipated some attempt by Beijing to foist a successor.”