Two weeks after a couple from Switzerland were beaten with sticks and stones by hooligans in Uttar Pradesh's Fatehpur Sikri, a German national has alleged he was assaulted in Sonbhadra district in the eastern part of the state on Saturday.
Holger Eric alleged he was attacked at the Robertsganj railway stationby a railway contractor during his visit to Agori Fort. The accused Aman Yadav, however maintained that it was Eric who punched him when he greeted him.
"I am innocent... the German national punched me when I said 'welcome to India' to him. He even spit on me," he said.
Circle officer Vivekanand Tiwari said that the accused has been arrested.
The incident comes two weeks after the Swiss embassy said it was 'deeply concerned' with the attacks on Marie Droz and Quentin Jeremy Clerc, a young couple who were allegedly assaulted after Marie refused to take a selfie with a group of young men.
Minister of External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had then sought for a report from the UP govt and tourism minister Alphons Kannanthanam who visited the couple during their period of convalescence in Delhi's Apollo Hospital had offered them a two day stay at Ashoka hotel as a 'token of concern'.
While Kannanthanam had later asserted that India is still a 'very safe' country to travel for tourists and that only a few incidents take place every year, incidents such as these raise questions.
A report by the Indian Express points out to the worrying aspect of touristy spaces, especially Fatehpur Sikri where the Swiss couple were attacked.
An army of undettered hawkers and touts who pursue tourists to sell trinkets and services roam about the historic site, unwilling to give up even with an unresponsive yet prospective buyer. According to the report, the Swiss couple were also assaulted by one such group.
Their presence has directly impacted the tourists inflow in the area which has seen even less number of tourists visiting after the incident with the Swiss couple. Fatehpur Sikri that is located less than 40 km from India's definite tourist destination The Taj Mahal is seeing less tourists.
70 per cent of tourists visiting Taj Mahal prefer to opt out of visiting Fatehpur Sikri, and those who do often end up complaining about harassment by the hakwers, also known as 'lapkas' in the feedback forms.
“The touts, their numbers going up to 500, hamper our business and bring the city a bad name.” the report said quoting Mohammad Alim Qureshi, 62, the vice-president of the Fatehpur Sikri Approved Guides Association.
"While the attack on the Swiss couple made headlines, such incidents are not new.” he added.
