The Great Indian Hospitality

The Times of India: Two Japanese women allege gangrape in Agra

Two Japanese women on Sunday alleged they were raped by three men in Agra after being confined for three days in separate places.

An FIR was filed at the airport police station here in this regard after the women informed the Japanese Embassy about the incident which in turn reported the matter to Delhi Police, a senior police official said.

The Japanese nationals, aged 24 and 25, arrived in Delhi on September 16 and left for Jaipur the next day from where they headed to Agra on September 19.

In Agra, the women met two persons identified as Sunny, who was conversant in Japanese, and Alias with whom they got friendly.

The men and women had drinks together later in the day and were allegedly sexually assaulted by Sunny and Alias besides one Rajan, who is said to be the UK-settled brother of Sunny.

"The women were confined separately in an office and hotel for three days," the official said adding, "the suspects yesterday arranged a taxi for the women to travel to Delhi."

As soon as they reached the capital, the women approached the Embassy which in turn informed the police.

The women had given photographs of the suspects and some documents, he said. But, the victims were not able to provide the exact location of the incident, he added.

Medical tests were conducted at the Safdarjung Hospital which confirmed rape, the official said adding that the clothes worn by the victims has also been sent for tests.

In a separate incident, a German tourist in May this year had alleged that a bus driver and conductor allegedly molested her.

CNN-IBN: Two Japanese women gang-raped in Agra

Two Japanese women have been allegedly raped in the tourist hub Agra in Uttar Pradesh.

An FIR has been lodged at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport Police Station though none of the five accused have been arrested so far.

The victims, Atsuko Kiyoshima and Mihokawa Kubo, had reportedly come to India on September 15 and proceeded to Agra from Jaipur on September 18.

A Zero FIR was lodged after the women arrived at the Delhi airport on September 21 and after they contacted the Japanese Embassy.

Zero FIR is related to registering a case anywhere in the country not necessarily at the place of occurrence.

Medical examination conducted at Safdarjung Hospital confirms rape.

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I have heard many Indians say that Indians are world renowned for their hospitality to guests. Incidents like this should make it clear to everyone how gracious hosts Indians are. The sad thing is that these are not isolated incidents. There have been numerous reports of rape and molestation of tourists in India in the past few years. In March this year, a German student named Pamela Probst was molested allegedly by a police constable in full public view inside a bus in Lucknow. Last year in April, four people were arrested for allegedly raping and duping a Japanese woman in Pushkar, a popular tourist destination in Rajasthan. In 2004, an Australian woman was allegedly held captive for over two months and repeatedly sexually assaulted by two men in Kashmir.

I can't imagine the horror the women in this case must have gone through. Coming to a foreign country, they must have been really pleased to meet a man who was fluent in their native language. Probably they thought he would be a good companion and friend in an alien land. Unfortunately for them, that was not the case.

For a country that prides on calling itself an emerging superpower, such cases are not very encouraging. Nor are they great stories for a land whose people often claim to respect women.

On a completely unrelated note, it sucks that men can be such real assholes.