Envoy cracks down: German professor now sorry for tying India to 'rape problem'

A German professor has apologised after a series of emails  which went viral revealed that she had denied an Indian student an internship  citing the “rape problem in India” as a reason. The professor’s rejection email to the Indian student has sparked an online furore. But Michael Steiner, Germany’s ambassador to India sent an urgent mail to the professor condemning her action following which the Leipzig-based biochemistry professor, Dr Annette G. Beck-Sickinger rendered an apology that was uploaded on the Embassy’s website here. “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 apologize and feel sorry for any misunderstandings,” Professor Sickinger said in a statement uploaded on the German embassy website. [caption id=“attachment_2144891” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] A German professor has apologized for denying an internship to a male Indian student, citing India’s “rape problem” as a reason for his disqualification.[/caption] Professor Beck-Sickinger of Leipzig University in Free State of Saxony had rejected the internship application, saying she does not accept any Indian male student for internships. “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 a reported email. The professor later engaged in an email exchange with a friend of the applicant, where she justified her decision as a “consequence” of India’s “attitude” towards women, and suggested that other female European professors were also practising her policy. While the Leipzig University defended her, the German ambassador to India Michael Steiner criticised her severely. In his letter, Steiner said, “Let’s be clear: India is not a country of rapists.” “In India, the Nirbhaya case has triggered a lively honest, sustained and very healthy public debate - a public debate of a quality that wouldn’t be possible in many other countries. [caption id=“attachment_2144887” align=“alignleft” width=“825”] Michael Steiner, Germany’s ambassador to India has sent a mail to Professor Beck-Sickinger which has been uploaded on the German Embassy in India website.[/caption] “The Indian Government and Indian civil society organisations are very committed to tackling the issue. Yesterday we celebrated International Women’s Day at the German Embassy here in Delhi with many local activists including many men,” he said in the letter. He said the Nirbhaya rape case has refocused attention on the issue of violence against women. “Rape is indeed a serious issue in India as in most countries, including Germany.” “Your oversimplifying and discriminating generalization is an offense to these women and men ardently committed to furthering women empowerment in India; and it is an offense to millions of law-abiding, tolerant, open-minded and hard-working Indians,” he said.

In a statement in Berlin, Sickinger said, “It was never my intention to make any defamatory comments about the Indian society…I do not have anything against Indian students.” She said she rejected the application because no openings were available. The applicant did not accept her reasoning. She said she very much regretted the “misunderstanding” caused by her email, which was taken “out of the context”. Sickinger said she has nothing against Indian male students and she had accepted many of them in the past. Four of her 30 students in the current International Masters Programme in Bio-organic chemistry are from India and two Indians are participating in a laboratory internship.

A spokesperson for Leipzig University said that it will continue to welcome students from India in spite of the controversy sparked by Prof Sickinger’s comments. A total of 44 Indian students are currently enrolled for various study programmes and 15 of them are women.