Pankaj Oswal has lodged a complaint with the United Nations regarding the alleged unlawful detention of his daughter, Vasundhara, who was taken by armed men from her workplace in Uganda without a warrant. Her family claims she endured unsanitary conditions and was denied basic necessities during her detention, while authorities have reportedly charged her with murder despite a court order for her release.
Pankaj Oswal, a Swiss industrialist, has escalated the situation surrounding the alleged unlawful detention of his daughter, Vasundhara Oswal, aged 26, by filing an appeal with the United Nations. Vasundhara was reportedly taken by approximately twenty armed individuals from her workplace, an extra-neutral alcohol (ENA) manufacturing plant in Uganda, without any identification or legal warrant. Her detention occurred on October 1, during what authorities termed a missing person investigation. In light of these events, an urgent appeal was submitted to the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) earlier this week. In a distressing post shared on her Instagram account, Vasundhara detailed the conditions of her alleged confinement, describing her environment as unsanitary, with blood and excrement present. She reported being forced to occupy a cramped space filled with shoes for more than 90 hours, deprived of basic hygiene necessities such as bathing or changing clothes for nearly five days. Furthermore, reports indicate she was denied access to clean water and adequate food, restricted in sleeping arrangements, and coerced to participate in what her family asserts is a dubious police parade. According to sources cited by the EU Reporter, Vasundhara was also denied vegetarian food and restricted from contacting family members and legal representatives. Her brother characterized her as a dedicated worker, who had successfully transformed the $110 million ENA facility from a humble tent in 2021 to a significant business venture, attributing her detention to corporate jealousy from an unnamed 68-year-old individual allegedly seeking to defame the Oswal family’s reputation and extort financial gain. Moreover, despite a judicial order for her release, Vasundhara’s family claims that authorities proceeded to charge her with murder in a local court rather than complying with the order. In support of her daughter’s plight, Radhika Oswal, Vasundhara’s mother, publicly expressed her distress in an appeal directed at the Ugandan government, stating that her daughter has been wrongfully imprisoned and is suffering from a violation of her fundamental human rights and dignity. “My young daughter has been thrown into a foreign jail. She has been stripped of her basic human rights and her dignity. Vasundhara is an innocent bystander. All I want is her safety,” she stated.
The incident involving Vasundhara Oswal highlights serious concerns regarding human rights and legal processes in Uganda. Pankaj Oswal’s appeal to the United Nations indicates the international implications of her detention. The actions taken by the Ugandan authorities, including questions of identity, legal justification, and treatment of the detainee raise significant ethical and legal questions. The role of the WGAD is critical in addressing alleged abuses of police powers and ensuring human rights protections are upheld, particularly in foreign contexts.
The situation surrounding Vasundhara Oswal’s detention raises significant human rights concerns, particularly regarding the legality and treatment of individuals under police custody in Uganda. The alleged mistreatment, as articulated by her family and the details shared on social media, underscores the need for immediate intervention from international bodies such as the United Nations. It is imperative that the Ugandan authorities address these claims appropriately to respect human dignity and legal rights.
Original Source: www.ndtv.com
