Tanzanian woman assaulted: Incidents like these affect tourism, says Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma

Expressing concern over the alleged assault on and stripping of a Tanzanian woman in Bengaluru, Union Tourism and Culture Minister Mahesh Sharma on Thursday said such incidents affect the tourism industry.

"Law and order is a state subject but if something like this happens to any tourist, particularly a foreigner and lady traveller, we fall behind from the tourist point of view," Sharma told reporters. He also called for "special efforts" toward safety of tourists, particularly foreigners and ladies.

A Tanzanian woman student was allegedly beaten up and stripped by a mob in a case of "mistaken identity" after a woman was mowed down by a car in Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, on a query on Sabarimala temple in Kerala, the Minister said the government is "considering highly" to put it in PRASAD scheme which is meant for developing pilgrimage centres.

As many as 13 cities -- namely Ajmer, Amritsar, Amravati, Dwarka, Gaya, Kamakhaya, Kanchipuram, Kedarnath, Mathura, Patna, Puri, Varanasi and Velankanni -- have been identified for development under Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spirituality Augmentation Drive (PRASAD) by the Ministry of Tourism.