New Delhi , India ( CNN ) Do not generalize India as a country of rapists . That was the firm message from the German ambassador in New Delhi after a professor back home was accused of turning down a male Indian student 's application for an internship due to the South Asian nation 's `` rape problem . '' Professor Annette Beck-Sickinger never did such a thing , according to her and the University of Leipzig . The university points out four of her 30 students and two of her laboratory interns come from India ; while it was n't clear how many of them were men , the university said 29 of its 44 Indian students total are male . Still , Beck-Sickinger has admitted making a mistake by engaging the rejected intern candidate with talk about rape in Indian society and how the issue spurred `` many ( other ) female professors in Germany ( have ) decided to no longer accept male Indian students for these reasons . '' `` It was never my intention to make a defamatory comment about Indian society , '' she said , according to a statement posted on the website of the University of Leipzig . `` I do not have anything against Indian students -- on the contrary . I sincerely apologize to anyone whose feelings I may have hurt . '' Marital rape : Why is it legal in India ? The firestorm began with a recent post on the social-networking site Quora . It featured what appeared to be screenshots of email excerpts involving someone in the University of Leipzig 's biochemistry department . They fell under this provocative headline : `` What should an Indian male student do if he is denied an internship opportunity on the basis of India being projected as an unsafe country for women ? '' The post did n't identify Beck-Sickinger , blacking out the name of the emails ' author . But it did lead with this statement that was later linked to her : `` Unfortunately I do n't accept any Indian male students for internships . We hear a lot about the rape problem in India which I can not support . I have many female students in the group , so I think this attitude is something I can not support . '' The thing is , Beck-Sickinger says she `` never wrote '' such a message , claiming this email was `` put together from individual segments taken from different mails . '' `` I do not reject students because of reasons of race or gender , `` she added . `` I am by no means racist or xenophobic in any way . '' Here 's what the University of Leipzig says did happen : The professor told the candidate `` the laboratories are fully occupied . '' The Indian applicant `` did n't accept '' this rejection , the university says , and went back-and-forth with Beck-Sickinger over email . During that exchange , Beck-Sickinger wrote things that she later regretted -- excerpts of which were posted to Quora and the university acknowledged as legitimate . Speaking about how Indian men might be stereotyped due to reports about alarming instances of rape in their native country , she said , `` I fully agree that this is a generalization and may not apply to individuals . However it is also unbelievable that the Indian society is not able to solve this problem for many years now . '' India bans rape documentary . Beck-Sickinger referred to regular reports of `` multi-rape crimes '' and abuse of female tourists that , `` for me ... demonstrate the attitude of society towards ( women ) . '' Such incidents have moved other female professors to reject male Indians `` and currently other European female associations are joining . '' `` Of course we can not change or influence the Indian society , '' she added , `` but only take our consequences here in Europe . '' The idea that the professor would n't accept male Indians for internships -- as reported by Quora and denied by the University of Leipzig -- riled up some in India , a number of whom wrote on the Quora thread . One user , identified as Sas Vijay , said , `` Do n't leave this issue . It is a serious fault to generalize people on such grounds . File a complaint . '' Another user , posting as Hemanth Sriteja , wrote , `` I do n't wan na come to an era where I should say 'Hii ( sic ) , I 'm from India , I 'm not a rapist . '' One person echoing that view publicly is Michael Steiner , Germany 's ambassador to India . `` 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 , '' Steiner wrote Monday in a letter posted on the embassy website . `` Let 's be clear : India is not a country of rapists . '' The ambassador urged Beck-Sickinger `` to learn more about the diverse , dynamic and fascinating country and the many welcoming and open-minded people of India so that you could correct a simplistic image , which — in my opinion — is particularly unsuitable for a professor and teacher . '' CNN 's Harmeet Shah Sing and journalist Kunal Sehgal reported from India , and CNN 's Greg Botelho wrote this story from Atlanta . CNN 's Stephanie Halasz contributed to this report .
Professor notes she has Indianss in her class and interning at her laboratory . An online post suggests a German professor rejected a student over India 's `` rape problem '' Professor denies this but does apologize for anyone `` hurt '' by her remarks on Indians society .