india-rape-protest-AFP-670
Indian activists belonging to various rights organisations hold placards while they stage a demonstration in Bangalore on Dec 21, 2012, condemning a gang rape in New Delhi that caused an uproar int he country and throughout the world. — Photo by AFP

NEW DELHI: A female British tourist was admitted to hospital after jumping through a hotel window Tuesday over fears of a sex attack in the Indian city of Agra, home to the Taj Mahal, police said.

The victim, who was not named but was in her early 30s, suffered leg injuries when she leapt from the first floor after two men tried to enter her room in the Hotel Agra Mahal at around 4:00 am.

“She got frightened so she ran to the other end of the room and jumped out of the window,” Pawan Kumar, superintendent of police in Agra, told AFP.

Another officer who was with the victim in hospital said she had earlier rejected the hotel manager's overtures offering a massage.

He then returned with a second man and attempted to open the door to her room with a key, the officer said.

Swaranjeet, deputy superintendent of police in Agra, who only uses one name, said that one person had been taken into custody on charges of harassment.

The victim had suffered a ligament fracture in one leg but her injuries were not serious, Swaranjeet told AFP.

“But she is very scared and has cancelled her plans to keep travelling in India. She just wants to return home,” she added.

A member of staff at the hotel, who would not give his full name, said the manager had merely tried to wake up the victim in time for an early morning train.

“We don’t know what she thought but she jumped out of the window of her room,” said the staff member.

The incident comes just days after a Swiss cyclist was gang-raped by a group of villagers on Friday night while on a cycling trip with her husband that included a stop in the Taj Mahal city of Agra.

The attack renewed focus on the country’s poor record on safety for women.

Opinion

Editorial

Rigging claims
Updated 04 May, 2024

Rigging claims

The PTI’s allegations are not new; most elections in Pakistan have been controversial, and it is almost a given that results will be challenged by the losing side.
Gaza’s wasteland
04 May, 2024

Gaza’s wasteland

SINCE the start of hostilities on Oct 7, Israel has put in ceaseless efforts to depopulate Gaza, and make the Strip...
Housing scams
04 May, 2024

Housing scams

THE story of illegal housing schemes in Punjab is the story of greed, corruption and plunder. Major players in these...
Under siege
Updated 03 May, 2024

Under siege

Whether through direct censorship, withholding advertising, harassment or violence, the press in Pakistan navigates a hazardous terrain.
Meddlesome ways
03 May, 2024

Meddlesome ways

AFTER this week’s proceedings in the so-called ‘meddling case’, it appears that the majority of judges...
Mass transit mess
03 May, 2024

Mass transit mess

THAT Karachi — one of the world’s largest megacities — does not have a mass transit system worth the name is ...