By Faheem Ur Rehman
British Woman Alleges Rape in Rishikesh. According to the recent news, on Saturday March 27, a British social worker filed a police complaint at the Laxman Jhoola police alleging that she has been raped by 2 men – one, a foreigner and the second one being an Indian from Mumbai.
The Uttaranchal police, while denying that there was any interference or pressure from the British high commission for registering the complaint, said that the lady left for Delhi after refusing a medical checkup. Furthermore, she declined to appear before a magistrate for her statement to be recorded.
On Saturday March 27, a British social worker filed a police complaint at the Laxman Jhoola police alleging that she has been raped by 2 men-one, a foreigner and the second one being an Indian from Mumbai.
The Uttaranchal police, while denying that there was any interference or pressure from the British high commission for registering the complaint, said that the lady left for Delhi after refusing a medical checkup. Furthermore, she declined to appear before a magistrate for her statement to be recorded.
This incident is not the first occurrence of its type. Last year, a similar allegation of rape by a women foreigner traveller against a fellow foreigner traveller was done, which subsequently was found to be baseless.
Rishikesh is one of the most preferred destinations in India due to its popularity as a destination of spirituality, ashrams, yoga, the river Ganges, meditation, cooler climes and its ease of reach from Delhi-the gateway to India. Rishikesh is highly recommended in all guide books as a must visit place. Hence, a huge number of travellers make a beeline for it.
Lest this worry our visitors to India, we hasten to add that travelling on your own in India is mostly safe. This is well supported by the huge numbers of women and couple travellers to India especially from Europe. However, to safeguard one’s self it is important to know the problems women travellers may face and simple precautions that you can take to avoid harm.
India Travel Tips For Women
One common reason is that compared to most Indians, the single female traveller is financially much better off. So she often can be recipient of unabashed male attention.
Women who have a hectic life style back home, without a companion, can easily let their guard down under the influence of the warmth of such an appreciative admiring attention. These women realise much later, often with a shattered heart, that it was their purse that was of more interest to their beaus, rather than themselves.
Be smart and take precautions as a Western woman travelling in India
In many non-urban areas of India with the encouraging approval of the whole family, it is a way of life for many young men to either first try to romantically ensnare the young unsuspecting ladies or if failing in this, then engage them with their families as the daughter of the house.
Either way, all this for some how try and convert these women into a lifelong ATM. There are many heart rendering sad tales of such tourist widows, daughters or sisters. Be careful of such undiluted attention and its ensuing sob story.
It is not unusual to see such couples in India. Spotting of such couples embolden many financially challenged young Indian men to try their luck. You can possibly be a victim of such a scam.
Nowadays India is also slowly becoming a destination for sex tourism. Though not as rampant as in Kenya, one can occasionally spot older western women travelling around in India with a younger Indian companion.
Such occurrences can mislead and often does mislead young Indian men into believing that this is an easy life – worth pursuing. To implement this plan, the first step obviously is developing friendship, then intimacy; and if this does not go as per plan, it may end up in a bitter experience of molestation.
Of course there are simple cases of robberies which can happen due to carelessness and false bravado on the part of the traveller. To avoid these happenings, consider buying an Indian outfit plus avoid visiting bad neighbourhoods.
Finally, you can, of course, avoid such a nuisance by hiring a tour company to arrange your India travel. We are an offbeat niche tour operator arranging tours of India, like Golden Triangle Tours of India. Visit us for more options in Delhi Agra Jaipur.
Travel Resources:
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Aamir speaks out against harassment of foreign tourists
