India gang rape: TWENTY held after Swiss tourist attacked and husband beaten by men armed with sticks

Scene: A security official at the site where the Swiss woman was gang-raped

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Police have detained 20 men after a Swiss tourist was gang-raped in front of her husband during a cycling trip in India.

No arrests have yet been made following the brutal attack on Friday, in which the woman's partner was also robbed and badly beaten.

Deputy inspector general of police, Dilip Arya, said the couple told police the woman had been raped by seven or eight men, but that it was dark and they could not be sure of the exact number.

As a first step, police have registered a case of rape against seven unidentified men and were searching nearby villages, he said.

Indian protesters hold placards as they take part in a protest to mourn the death of a gang-raped student

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An Indian demonstrator holds a placard during a protest calling for better safety for women following the rape of a student in the Indian capita

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Indian protesters hold candles during a rally in New Delhi

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The pair were on a three-month trip to India and had been camping in a forest after bicycling from the temple town of Orchha in the central state of Madhya Pradesh.

They set out from Orchha on Friday and had pitched their tent in a forest near Jatia village when they were attacked by a group of men armed with wooden sticks.

The men beat up the husband, tied him to a tree and then raped the woman, police said.

The 39-year-woman has since been discharged from hospital after being treated for her injuries.

The Swiss ambassador in India, Linus von Castelmur, has spoken to the couple and has demanded a swift probe of the incident.

Mr von Castelmur said he was "most distressed" by the incident and had assured the couple of all help and support.

"Their health and treatment is the priority of the moment," the embassy said in a statement.

The embassy said it was in touch with local authorities in Madhya Pradesh and has urged a "swift investigation and for justice to be done."

Indian policemen stand with six men, face covered in black sheet, suspected in a gang rape of a bus passenger in Punjab state, India

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Kashmiri Sikh students shout slogans and hold placards as they take part in a protest in Srinagar

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India has seen outrage and protests against rape and attacks on women since the fatal gang-rape of a young woman on a bus in New Delhi last year.

Student Jyoti Singh was travelling on a public bus on December 16 when six men raped and severely beat her before stripping her naked and throwing her from the moving vehicle.

She died 12 days later after signs her vital organs had failed, according to staff at the hospital in Singapore where she was flown for specialist treatment.

She had earlier suffered a heart attack, a lung and abdominal infection and "significant" brain damage.

Four men and a juvenile are on trial for that attack. A sixth defendant, who police say was the ringleader, was found dead in his cell on Monday .

One woman is raped every 20 minutes in India, according to the National Crime Records Bureau.

But police estimate only four out of 10 rapes are reported, largely due to victims' fear of being shamed by their families and communities.