NEW DELHI, March 10 – An Indian male’s internship application was rejected by a professor in Germany over the “rape problem” in India, Press Trust of India (PTI) reported.
Professor Beck Sickinger of Leipzig University in German state of Saxony said she had rejected the student’s internship application because “I do not accept Indian male students for internship”.
“Unfortunately I don’t accept any Indian male students for internships. We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I cannot support. I have many female students in my group, so I think this attitude is something I cannot support,” Sickinger said in an email.
This led to German ambassador to India Michael Steiner writing a letter to the professor, who apologised for her “unwarranted remarks” in the letter to the student whose identity is unknown.
“I have made a mistake. I sincerely apologise to everyone whose feelings I have hurt,” Sickinger was quoted as saying by the German embassy in a statement.
The envoy said: “Let’s be clear: India is not a country of rapists. Your oversimplifying and discriminating generalisation is an offense to many men and women committed to furthering female empowerment in India.”
Steiner said the Nirbhaya rape case had triggered a very healthy public debate “whose quality would not be possible in many other countries.”
“The Nirbhaya case has refocused attention on the issue of violence against women. Rape is a serious issue in India as in most countries including Germany. The India government is very committed to tackling the problem,” he added.
– BERNAMA
