Why did India grant asylum to the 14th Dalai Lama?

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The Indian government granted asylum to the 14th Dalai Lama in 1959 primarily on humanitarian grounds.1

Following a popular uprising in Lhasa against Chinese control, the Dalai Lama fled Tibet amid fears that Chinese authorities intended to kidnap him. After a perilous journey across the Himalayas, he arrived in India on March 31, 1959, accompanied by his family, officials, and monks.21

While the Chinese government accused India of interfering in its internal affairs and encouraging the uprising, India maintained that its decision was based on humanitarian principles. This act of providing refuge eventually led to India becoming home to one of the largest Tibetan diaspora communities in the world, with the Dalai Lama establishing his government-in-exile in Dharamshala in 1960.13