“The level of sexual aggression I witnessed while living in India for several years was unlike anywhere else I have ever been…I never met a female traveler who had not been groped or assaulted or worse, even if they had only been in country for mere days. I love India. It is and always will be one of my favorite places in the world. But I have advised female friends who asked me not to travel there alone. This is a real problem in Indian society that warrants more attention and that I hope will improve in time,” the author had tweeted.

The attack took place on Friday night in the Dumka district of Jharkhand while the couple were camping. Three people have been arrested in connection with the matter while a manhunt is on for the remaining four accused.

Sharma however insisted that India took the safety of women “very seriously”. She responded to the initial post by urging the writer to not “defame” the entire country.

“Did you ever report the incident to Police? If not than you are totally an irresponsible person. Writing only on social media and defaming whole country is not good choice,” she contended.

The National Commission for Women had earlier condemned the alleged gang-rape and said that a letter has been sent to the officials to expedite the investigation.