KATHMANDU, Nov 14: Nepali students and alumni members of Harvard University on Thursday urged the government to release Roop Jyoti and his family members from incarceration.
Renowned businessman, philanthropist and Vipassana meditation teacher, Dr. Jyoti, was arrested from Tribhuwan International Airport upon his return from Singapore on November 7. He is currently under police custody.
Dr Jyoti completed his PHD from US-based Harvard University in 1999.
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"Independent press reports suggest that Dr. Roop Jyoti was charged for a crime he was not involved in. A multi-year and multi-party business dispute that should and could have been settled via a mediation or arbitration process appears to have been blown out of proportion into a criminal offence --- targeting Dr. Roop Jyoti and resulting in his arrest," read a press release issued by the Nepali students and alumni members of Harvard University.
In their statement, Nepali students and alumni members of the university stated that they are troubled by media reports that suggest that Dr. Jyoti is being harassed because he refused to succumb to extortion. "We demand that the authorities investigate this charge," they said.
The alumni members expressed their hopes that the rule of law will prevail.
"While we expect the rule of law to prevail and to take its course, the circumstances and the manner in which Dr. Jyoti and his family are being treated appear to be arbitrary, disproportionate and unfair," read the press release.
The alumni members also strongly urged the Government of Nepal to free Dr. Jyoti and his family members.
"As not doing so would send an adverse signal that the authorities in Nepal can arrest anyone under any pretext, thereby ruining the person’s reputation, damaging the worth of their societal contributions, and casting a chill in the way that civil society and the private sector operate with rights and privileges granted by the Constitution of Nepal," the press release added.
