(Image source from: Deccanchronicle.com)

Five Arrested After Ministers Write To UP CM Over Swiss Couple Attack:- The five youth who attacked a young Swiss tourist couple, in Agra’s Fatehpur Sikri in Uttar Pradesh, were arrested, said the UP police on Thursday. The couple, Quentin Jeremy Clerc (24) and Marie Droz, also 24, were left battered and bruised in the incident.

The attack was condemned by the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government, on Sunday. The doctors said the couple are on the way to recovery. The duo came to India on September 30.

Five people were found to be involved in the incident, said UP Secretary (Home) Bhagwan Swarup on Thursday night. “All five have been arrested/apprehended. Prima facie, two appear be major and the rest three minors,” he said in a statement.

Clerc has been shifted to the ward from the ICU, while Droz has a fracture in her arm but after treatment, has been discharged, said Dr Rajendra Prasad, neurosurgeon. The couple were admitted at the Apollo Hospital in Delhi. “We have moved him(Clerc) out of the ICU into a room. He is having a hearing problem otherwise he is conscious and talking,” said Prasad, adding it is difficult to say at this stage whether he has suffered permanent hearing damage. “He’s improving but we will have to see in the long term,” he said.

The duo is in a state of shock and that Droz is at present with her male friend, said Prasad.

To be recalled, according to media accounts of the incident, it was on Sunday when a group of four youth attacked the couple were attacked with stones and sticks in the tourist town of Fatehpur Sikri, about 40 km from Agra.

“The Embassy of Switzerland in New Delhi confirms that two Swiss citizens were attacked in India,” the Embassy said in a statement, adding, “In the framework of consular protection services, the Embassy is providing support to them.For reasons of privacy and data protection, the Embassy cannot communicate any further information in this regard.”

Two attackers have been arrested, said UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath . “Two attackers have been arrested, and strict action will be taken against those (other people) involved in the attack,” he told reporters in Agra. Currently, Adityanath following the controversy over its place in Indian heritage set off by BJP leaders is in in Agra to visit Taj Mahal in an apparent damage control exercise.

“We have given instructions to police to strictly deal with such people. Our government will not accept such incidents,” he added.

A report from the UP government has also been sought by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, on the attack. She said that the progress of Clerc and Droz, is being monitored by the government.

The Minister, in a series of tweets, “our Joint Secretary S Bhattacharjee and Indian Ambassador designate to Switzerland C B George met Swiss nationals Clerc and Marie Droz in hospital this morning”. She also tweeted that these officials spoke to the concerned doctors who told them that while Droz has been discharged, Clerc is improving.

Our Jt.Secy S.Bhattacharjee and Indian Ambassador designate to Switzerland https://t.co/gQDqLC21X8 met Swiss nationals /1

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 26, 2017

Quentin Jeremy Clerc and Ms.Marie Droz in hospital this morning. They spoke to the concerned doctors who told them /2

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 26, 2017

that while Ms.Droz has been discharged, Mr Clerc is improving. We are monitoring his progress in the hospital.

— Sushma Swaraj (@SushmaSwaraj) October 26, 2017

A letter to Yogi Adityanath was dashed off by Union Minister of State for Tourism, K J Alphons. He said that the incident could have a negative impact on the image of the country. Alphons said he was “deeply concerned” over the attack. “A fast and speedy response in identifying and ensuring speedy action, including conviction of the guilty, would be reassuring, as also a good message of our efforts to prevent recurrence of such incidents,” the minister wrote.

Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma said the incident was a matter of shame for the country. Sharma held the tourism portfolio before the recent reshuffle. He even played a significant role in organizing the India’s biggest tourism festival ‘Paryatan Parv’.

After the conclusion of the ‘Paryatan Parv’, the incident came to light a day after the festival, which is aimed at increasing the tourist footfall in the country. “I condemn the attack on the foreign tourists. It is unfortunate and should not have happened. It is a matter of shame for us,” he told a leading news channel in Delhi.

The incident was informed by someone through Dial 100 on October 22. After receiving the call, the couple was admitted to a primary health centre and later to a private hospital in Agra, said Additional Director General (ADG) Crime Chandra Prakash told reporters in Lucknow.

“As the couple did not lodge any FIR, police suo motu lodged an NCR (non-cognisable report) in the matter,” he said. He further added that relevant sections of the IPC were included in the FIR, after medical report found a fracture in the arm of one of the tourists.

The ADG when asked about the accused, said, “Initial reports said that some of them are minor. But as probe is on, it will not be fair to disclose their names.”

A group of youth started following the couple and later attacked them when they were strolling near the railway station at Fatehpur Sikri after a day in Agra, the couple was quoted as saying in a media report. Moreover, the bystanders started taking videos of them on their mobile phones, as they lay on the ground bloodied and bruised, said the couple.

(Video Source: ABP NEWS)

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