Post by Focus on Mar 19, 2013 10:55:34 GMT
A British tourist in India has been hospitalized after jumping out of a window to escape being raped, it emerged today.
The 25-year-old was apparently staying in a hotel in the centre of Agra, the city where the Taj Mahal is located, when someone broke in to her room and attempted to molest her.
The woman then jumped from the first-floor window and was taken to a local hospital with head injuries and fractures in both legs.
Horror : A British tourist was the victim of an attempted rape in Agra, where the Taj Mahal is located
The alleged rapist, who has been arrested, is believed to be the owner of the hotel where she was staying.
A spokesman for Foreign Office said that officials were 'urgently investigating' the reports.
The news comes just days after a Swiss tourist was raped by a gang of Indian men while her husband was tied up and forced to watch.
That attack took place during a cycling holiday in the relatively remote state of Madhya Pradesh, but the latest incident is even more worrying given that it was in a popular tourist town visited by millions of westerners every year as part of the 'Golden Triangle' of attractions in northern India.
The issue of sexual assault in India came to prominence in December, when a 23-year-old student was gang-raped on a bus and left with such severe injuries that she later died.
That attack led to a national protest movement with women and men taking to the streets to demand a harsh punishment for the victim's attackers and greater protection against future incidents.
Attack : Five men suspected of gang-raping a Swiss tourist in central India last week
The Indian government has introduced legislation which would raise the minimum sentence for rape to 20 years and impose the death penalty in cases which led to the death of the victim.
The Foreign Office today updated its travel advice for women planning to visit India, apparently before the reports of the latest attempted rape.
'Women should use caution when travelling in India,' the advice says.
'Reported cases of sexual assault against women and young girls are increasing; recent sexual attacks against female visitors in tourist areas and cities show that foreign women are also at risk.
'British women have been the victims of sexual assault in Goa, Delhi, Bangalore and Rajasthan and women travelers often receive unwanted attention in the form of verbal and physical harassment by individuals or groups of men' -- Ffs they're DEPRAVED!!! - Fx