Assault on Swiss couple: Govt sends report to Ministry of External Affairs

LUCKNOW: The state government sent on Friday a report to the ministry of external affairs regarding action taken in the case of alleged assault on a Swiss couple at Fatehpur Sikri.

Principal secretary, Home, Arvind Kumar told HT that the MEA as well as the central government had been informed about detention of five persons, including three minors, for the assault on the couple- Quentin Jeremy Clerc (24) and his girlfriend Marie Droz (24), at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra on Sunday.

External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday. “We are monitoring the progress of the couple in hospital,” she had said in a series of tweets.

“The state government is committed to the safety of the tourists visiting various spots across the state. The MEA has been informed about the measures taken by the state government for the safety of the tourists,” he said.

District magistrates and superintendents of police had been reminded of chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s instruction to provide protection to foreign tourists. The officers had also been told to check harassment of tourists by touts, Kumar said.

A senior police officer said the central government had been told that assault on the Swiss couple was not a planned attack but a stray incident.

The couple had trudged into a deserted area and the local boys had followed them. When the couple had an argument with the boys, one of them attacked the couple with a stick while others pelted them with stones, resulting in injuries to both.

He said a police team from Agra had gone to Delhi to meet the couple to record their statement but they refused to lodge an FIR.