Swiss-Indian billionaire Pankaj Oswal has filed an urgent appeal with the United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention (WGAD) regarding the alleged illegal detention of his 26-year-old daughter, Vasundhara Oswal, in Uganda. The incident has sparked widespread concern over human rights violations and corporate rivalry in the East African nation.
Vasundhara Oswal was reportedly detained on October 1 by around 20 armed men who claimed to be law enforcement officers. The men did not produce any identification or warrant, and they took her into custody without a formal warrant, allegedly in connection with a missing persons case (Source:).
The detention has been described as unlawful and inhumane by Vasundhara's family. Her Instagram posts detail the harsh conditions she faced, including being forced to sit in a room filled with shoes for over 90 hours, denied access to clean water and proper food, and not allowed to bathe or change her clothes for nearly five days (Source:,).
Pankaj Oswal, in his appeal to the UN, has highlighted that despite a court order for her unconditional release, Vasundhara was taken to a local court and charged with murder. The family believes these charges are fabricated and aimed at preventing her release on bail (Source:,).
The Oswal family has accused corporate rivalry as a possible motive behind Vasundhara's detention. Her brother described her as a 'workaholic' who built the $110 million Extra Neutral Alcohol (ENA) plant in Uganda's Luwero from scratch in 2021. He suggested that the detention was part of an extortion attempt by an unnamed 68-year-old man aiming to damage her reputation (Source:,).
Vasundhara Oswal serves as the executive director of PRO Industries, which is involved in the development of the ENA plant. The company has been at the forefront of investment in Uganda's alcohol production sector, with Pankaj Oswal recently investing $100 million in the project (Source:,).
The family's distress over Vasundhara's situation has been echoed by her mother, Radhika Oswal, who described it as 'every mothers nightmare.' She appealed for her daughter's immediate release, pointing out the violations of Vasundhara's basic human rights (Source:,).
Pankaj Oswal has also enlisted the help of human rights lawyer Cherie Blair CBE, KC, whose office stated that the treatment of Vasundhara violates both domestic and international laws. The family has paused their business plans in Uganda pending the resolution of Vasundhara's situation (Source:).
The case remains under investigation by the WGAD, an international human rights body tasked with investigating the misuse of police powers and intervening with governments responsible for such abuses. Local reports from The Monitor claim that Vasundhara and her companys lawyer were remanded to prison on charges of kidnapping with intent to kill chef Mukesh Kumar Menaria, who had worked for the family for seven years (Source:,).
The incident has highlighted concerns about corporate and political interference in legal proceedings in Uganda. It underscores the need for robust human rights protections and fair legal processes to prevent such injustices.
