American assaulted, admitted in hospital

A 36-year-old speech impaired American, who was on a tour to India, was allegedly assaulted by a youth here today following a "communication gap" and he was admitted to a hospital, police said.
Kevin Bernard, after touring the Himalayas and Bangalore, arrived here today. He went to an internet kiosk to send a message to a medical university in the USA where he had sought admission to pursue a course in medical sciences.
Yuvaraj, a staff at the kiosk, could not understand what Bernard told him when he asked him in Tamil to pay Rs 38 as fees.
Misled by the communication gap, Bernard allegedly hit Yuvaraj who in turn pushed him to the ground. The American has been admitted to a private hospital, police said.