Police have announced that a Swiss tourist who was bicycling through India with her husband, was gang raped by between five to seven men. The announcement was another black eye for India over violence in general and especially against women.
The incident took place in the central part of India in the Datia district. The men beat the woman’s husband and then raped her, said a police deputy superintendent.
In early February, the couple arrived in the city of Mumbai. They were on a cycling tour across India, said the police. The attackers also stole the couple’s laptop, over 10,000 rupees (US$183) and a cellular phone.
Police said they have detained up to 20 people who will be questioned. While the investigation takes place, the couple is staying at a guest home.
This latest attack comes when people in the country are calling for stricter laws against sexual assault and changes in the cultural attitudes in the country towards women.
Last December a woman riding a bus with a male friend in New Delhi was gang raped spurring countrywide protest. The woman later died after being transported to a hospital in Singapore.
The minister of home affairs in India has appointed a panel that has criticized the attitudes of Indians toward sexual assault. The panel is also calling for changes in policy including increasing the penalty for gang rape to 20 years and making it a crime against police if they fail to investigate complaints of sexual assault .
