<p>A German professor of the Leipzig University in the Free State of Saxony rejected the internship request of an Indian student because she had “heard a lot” about incidents of rape in India and felt the attitude of Indians towards women was not “appropriate”.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Professor Beck-Sickinger apologised later, following the intervention of the Ambassador to India.<br /><br />The incident came to light after the “colleague” of the Indian student posted the email interaction on a question-answer website Quora without the name of the student and the professor involved. <br /><br />“Unfortunately, I don’t accept any Indian male students for internship. We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I cannot support,” the professor had said in the letter. <br />“I have many female students in my group, so I think this attitude is something I cannot support,” Sickinger added. <br /><br />However, the professor soon came under fire from German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner, who sent her a strongly worded letter condemning her ill-informed statements. <br /><br />“I would encourage you to learn more about the diverse, dynamic and fascinating country and the many welcoming and the open-minded people of India so that you could correct a simplistic image, which in my opinion, is particularly unsuitable for a professor and a teacher,” the German envoy said. Steiner said the 2012 Delhi rape case had “refocused” attention on the issue of violence against women.<br /><br />“Rape is indeed a serious issue in India as in most countries, including Germany. In India, the December 16 case has triggered a lively, honest, sustained and very healthy public debate of a quality that wouldn’t be possible in many other countries,” he said in the letter, posted on his twitter account.<br /><br />“The Indian government and Indian civil society organisations are very committed to tackling the issue,” the ambassador said. After the intervention, professor Beck-Sickinger apologised for the comments. <br /><br />“I made a mistake. I never had the intention of discriminating against Indian society. I have nothing at all against students from India — quite to the contrary. If I hurt anybody’s feelings, I duly and heartily apologise and feel sorry for any misunderstandings,” Sickinger said in a statement, uploaded on the German embassy website.</p>
<p>A German professor of the Leipzig University in the Free State of Saxony rejected the internship request of an Indian student because she had “heard a lot” about incidents of rape in India and felt the attitude of Indians towards women was not “appropriate”.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Professor Beck-Sickinger apologised later, following the intervention of the Ambassador to India.<br /><br />The incident came to light after the “colleague” of the Indian student posted the email interaction on a question-answer website Quora without the name of the student and the professor involved. <br /><br />“Unfortunately, I don’t accept any Indian male students for internship. We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I cannot support,” the professor had said in the letter. <br />“I have many female students in my group, so I think this attitude is something I cannot support,” Sickinger added. <br /><br />However, the professor soon came under fire from German Ambassador to India Michael Steiner, who sent her a strongly worded letter condemning her ill-informed statements. <br /><br />“I would encourage you to learn more about the diverse, dynamic and fascinating country and the many welcoming and the open-minded people of India so that you could correct a simplistic image, which in my opinion, is particularly unsuitable for a professor and a teacher,” the German envoy said. Steiner said the 2012 Delhi rape case had “refocused” attention on the issue of violence against women.<br /><br />“Rape is indeed a serious issue in India as in most countries, including Germany. In India, the December 16 case has triggered a lively, honest, sustained and very healthy public debate of a quality that wouldn’t be possible in many other countries,” he said in the letter, posted on his twitter account.<br /><br />“The Indian government and Indian civil society organisations are very committed to tackling the issue,” the ambassador said. After the intervention, professor Beck-Sickinger apologised for the comments. <br /><br />“I made a mistake. I never had the intention of discriminating against Indian society. I have nothing at all against students from India — quite to the contrary. If I hurt anybody’s feelings, I duly and heartily apologise and feel sorry for any misunderstandings,” Sickinger said in a statement, uploaded on the German embassy website.</p>
