A 46-year old American tourist on her first visit to India says she was gang raped earlier this week while visiting Dharamsala, a popular tourist destination in the hills of northern India, according to Indian media reports.
“She says she had gone out for dinner at around 9 p.m.,” senior police officer Renu Sharma told NDTV. “When she was returning at around midnight, someone grabbed her and then she fell unconscious. She said when she came to, she realized she had been raped. She then went to the police station.”
The Times of India reported that a case had been “registered” against “two unknown assailants” in connection with the allegation.
The rape is one of several reported in the past few years by women tourists at a time when the country has been grappling with many more rapes of Indian women.
A 30-year-old American woman was reportedly gang raped in the town of Manali in 2013. Earlier this year, Japan warned female citizens about visiting India following two rape allegations brought by Japanese women, one in Jaipur and another in the state of Bihar.
In December, 2012, tourists from Switzerland, Ireland and Denmark filed rape charges as well.
The State Department’s Bureau of Consular Affairs, citing rapes and sexual harassment in India, warns that while most rape victims are local residents, “foreign women” particularly in tourist areas “are at risk and should exercise vigilance.”
“Women should observe stringent security precautions, including avoiding use of public transport after dark without the company of known and trustworthy companions, restricting evening entertainment to well-known venues, and avoiding isolated areas when alone at any time of day,” it warns.
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