Swiss tourists suffer attack in India

NEW DELHI: According to NDTV, a Swiss couple was left wounded on the road after being chased by a group of men and attacked with sticks and stones in tourist favourite Fatehpur Sikri near Agra on Sunday, a day after they visited the Taj Mahal. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj has asked for a report from the Uttar Pradeshgovernment on the brutal assault, which has left the man with head injuries and partial hearing loss.

One of the four attackers has been arrested.

Quentin Jeremy Clerc suffered a skull fracture and a blood clot in the brain. A nerve in his ear was also affected, a doctor has told the Times of India newspaper.

He and his girlfriend Marie Droxz, both 24, had come from Lausanne in Switzerland on September 30 for a tour of Agra. After visiting the Taj, they were in the historic Fatehpur Sikri town on Sunday when they were stalked and harassed by four men.

The group followed them, shouted comments and tried to strike up a conversation with them. Eventually they grew bolder, blocked their way and forcibly took selfies.

"They followed us for almost an hour, and kept taking our pictures despite our objections," Mr Clerc has been quoted as telling the Times of India.

When they were returning from Fatehpur Sikri, the men hit Mr Clerc with a stick. "My girlfriend who was walking ahead of me rushed to my help and raised an alarm, attracting the attention of the people in the vicinity," he said.

Mr Clerc alleges that he was hit repeatedly until he fell to the ground. Ms Droxz was also attacked and her arm was fractured.

The men ran away when some people rushed to help the couple lying injured on the road.

They were initially taken to a local hospital and then moved to Delhi. Officials from the Foreign Ministry today visited the couple at Delhi's Apollo Hospital.

The incident has emerged on a day Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is visiting Agra for a visit heavy on optics following controversial statements on the Taj Mahal , the 17th-century monument built by Mughal emperor Shah Jahan for his wife Mumtaz Mahal.

Agra, which draws millions of visitors from across the world, has been concerned about a hit in its traffic.