Free stay in 5-star hotel: KJ Alphons' offer to Swiss couple beaten up in UP

New Delhi: A Swiss couple who were attacked at Fatehpur Sikri earlier in October have been offered a free two-night stay at a five-star hotel in the national capital as a "token of concern" by Tourism Minister KJ Alphons.

In a letter to the couple, Alphons offered to put them up at the government-run ITDC hotel, The Ashok, after they recovered from their injuries.

He said the couple, Marie Droze and Quentin Jeremy Clerc, can choose to stay at the hotel on the dates of their choice.

"Trust you are recovering fast and would be on your way home soon. As a token of our concern, we would like to offer you a room at our luxury hotel, The Ashok, at Chankyapuri, New Delhi for two nights on the dates of your choice. All expenses at the hotel, including food and beverages, would be covered," he said in the letter.

Set upon 25 acres of prime land in the capital's diplomatic area, The Ashok is situated 2 km from Rashtrapati Bhavan. The tariff per night is around Rs. 10,000.

The minister had earlier written to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over the issue and also visited the couple, who are currently recovering at Apollo Hospital, Delhi, assuring them of help.

On October 22, the couple from Lausanne in Switzerland, were chased and attacked with stones and sticks by a group of four youths in the tourist town of Fatehpur Sikri, about 40 km from Agra, according to media accounts of the incident.

They later told the media that as they lay on the ground bloodied and bruised, bystanders began making videos of them on their mobile phones.