A Danish tourist was gang-raped near a popular shopping area in New Delhi after she stopped to ask for directions in the latest case to draw attention to the scourge of violence against women in India, police said today.
The 51-year-old woman was also robbed and beaten in the attack, which happened yesterday afternoon or early evening near Connaught Place, police spokesman Rajan Bhagat said.
The woman had lost her way and was trying to get back to her hotel, he said.
She approached a group of men for directions, but they lured her to a secluded area where they raped her at knife-point, according to the Press Trust of India news agency.
Indian policemen sit inside the police station which is investigating the gang-rape of a Danish tourist in Delhi
Investigation: An Indian policeman stands outside the police station. Officers are questioning several suspects but no arrests have been made
The woman managed to reach her hotel Tuesday evening and the owner called police. Police are questioning several suspects but no arrests have been made.
‘When she came, it was miserable,’ said Amit Bahl, owner of the Amax Hotel in the Paharganj area, which is popular with backpackers.
The woman was crying and ‘not in good shape,’ he said. ’I am really ashamed that this happened,’ said Bahl, who sounded shaken. The Danish Embassy had no comment.
The problem of sexual violence in India has gained widespread attention since the horrific gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old woman on a moving bus in December 2012. Public fury over the case has led to more stringent laws that doubled prison terms for rape to 20 years and criminalized voyeurism and stalking. But for many women, particularly the poor, daily indignities and abuse continue unabated and the new laws have not made the streets any safer.
Ranjana Kumari, Director of India’s Center for Social Research, said India’s conservative, patriarchal traditions lead men to use rape as a tool to instill fear in women. ’This mindset is not changing,’ she said. ‘It’s a huge challenge.’