Students of Saint Joseph Degree College participate in an anti-rape protest in Hyderabad last year. Delhi police have arrested two men accused of raping a nurse at the Oberoi hotel in New Delhi.
AFP/New Delhi
Indian police have arrested two men accused of raping a nurse at one of New Delhi's top luxury hotels, a senior officer said on Tuesday, days after the prime minister used a high-profile speech to condemn sex crimes.
The alleged attack took place at the Oberoi hotel on Friday - the same day that Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in his first Independence Day speech that a series of high-profile rape cases had brought shame on the nation.
"We have arrested both the accused. The medical examination of the victim is over. She is right now undergoing counselling," deputy police commissioner P. Karunakaran said.
The nurse had reportedly been hired to care for the sick wife of the Oberoi's owner, who was staying in a hotel suite.
"The men seem to have forcibly taken her to their room and gang-raped her. We are investigating the case thoroughly," another officer said on condition of anonymity.
Reports say the victim was threatened with "dire consequences" if she reported the crime.
When the perpetrators tried to attack her for a second time on Sunday, she broke down and confided in her husband, who registered a police complaint.
"The incident is very unfortunate. The individuals in question are not hotel employees," said a statement from the hotel's spokeswoman Deepica Sharma.
"We are fully co-operating with the police and local authorities with the investigation."
Anger over sexual violence has been rising in the country over the last two years, fuelled by a series of high-profile assaults including the fatal gang-rape of a student on a bus in Delhi in December 2012.
Modi, a right-wing Hindu nationalist, won plaudits on Friday for his speech, in which he urged parents to take responsibility for the actions of their sons rather than put the onus on their daughters.
