Anand Jon's sister seeks India's help

Indo-Asian News Service
Mumbai, January 02, 2008

Indian designer Anand Jon, who faces a slew of charges related to sexual assault and molestation in the US, is a victim of racism and jealousy, his sister alleged on Wednesday.

"This demonisation is happening because he broke into an industry where Americans find difficult to break into," claimed Sanjana, Anand's younger sister.

Jon, an Indian citizen jailed in Los Angeles since June 2007, is facing charges of rape and molestation from 30 women in several American states.

According to Sanjana, the complaints started pouring in after the Wall Street valued his brand name at $10 million. She rubbished the entire sequence of events as illogical because the number of alleged victims continued to grow.

"After the valuation, his company started attracting more investments. Some of these complaints date back to five years. Why did these girls not file complaints immediately?" Sanjana told IANS, fighting back her tears.

The first complaint was filed on March 6, 2007, when Anand was planning to launch his denim line in association with a company called Genisis.

Jon's lawyer Majid Memon also felt there was a possibility that Anand's phenomenal success raised a few eyebrows.

"Jon's rivals could not digest his financial independence and his success, especially as he was an Indian. It is a well-planned conspiracy against him," Memon told IANS. He is planning to leave for the US soon to secure Jon's release.

He dubbed some of the complaints as ridiculous and absurd. He said there was no medical evidence of sexual assault in any of the cases.

Sanjana is seeking help of the Indian government in defending her brother and wants to create public awareness about her brother's plight as she thinks he has been unfairly targeted.

(Appeared in Hindustan Times)