External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj sought a report from the Uttar Pradesh government and sent her officials to see a young Swiss couple with a skull fracture and a broken arm after they were attacked at Fatehpur Sikri near Agra on Sunday.
The police arrested five persons for the brutal attack that sparked widespread outrage on Thursday with two other senior central ministers reacting sharply — one of them seeking immediate action and the other calling the incident a matter of shame. The Swiss Embassy has also reached out to the victims.
The police said four men made lewd comments to Quentin Jeremy Clerc and his female friend Marie Droz, asked for selfies and later threw stones at them.
The couple was also attacked with sticks. Clerc had a fractured skull, while Droz's arm was broken in the attack.
"I have just seen this. I have asked for a report from the state government. My officers will reach them (the couple) in the hospital," Swaraj said on Twitter on Thursday.
The crime came to light a day after the conclusion of the 'Paryatan Parv', India's biggest tourism festival. The attack was described as a "matter of shame" by Union Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma, who held the Tourism portfolio before a recent reshuffle.
The Swiss Embassy also reached out to the couple which was attacked a day after a trip to the Taj Mahal. "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."
Clerc, 24, came to India on September 30 with Droz, also 24. Doctors at Apollo Hospital in Delhi where the couple has been admitted said that they were recovering.
Dr Rajendra Prasad, neurosurgeon at the hospital, said Clerc has been shifted out of the ICU. He has hearing problems, but is talking. Droz is doing fine after treatment. Prasad said the duo is in shock.
Union Minister of State for Tourism KJ Alphons wrote a letter to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, saying 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 (the culprits) and ensuring speedy action, including conviction, would be reassuring, as also a good message of our efforts to prevent recurrence of such incidents," the minister wrote.
Adityanath, who was in Agra to visit the Taj Mahal on Thursday, said strict action will be taken against those involved in the attack.
The couple was quoted as saying in a media report that they were strolling near a railway station after a day in Agra when the group started following them and later attacked. The couple said that as they lay on the ground bloodied and bruised, bystanders began taking videos on their mobile phones, according to the report.
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