BEIJING (Reuters) — The Chinese government has detained several hundred Tibetans who returned from India after attending teaching sessions overseen by the Dalai Lama, and is forcing them to undergo political re-education, a human rights group said Friday.

The New York-based group, Human Rights Watch, said it believed that it was the first time since the late 1970s that authorities had detained Tibetan laypeople in such large numbers, and comes as China is worried about unrest in Tibetan parts of the country.

Also Friday, a Tibetan monk burned himself to death in China’s western Qinghai Province, the 22nd confirmed self-immolation by Tibetans protesting Chinese rule since February 2009, Radio Free Asia reported.

China allowed about 7,000 Tibetans to attend teaching sessions with the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, in the Indian state of Bihar from Dec. 31 to Jan. 10. Human Rights Watch said the move appeared to be a sign of a relaxation of policy toward Tibetans.