Says Sanjana Jon, sister of Indian born and New York-based fashion designer Anand Jon, who is facing charges of sexual harassment. She plans to go public with 'evidence' proving her brother's innocence

Shah Rukh Khan was questioned by the US security at the Newark airport, New Jersey, for about sixty minutes and the country and its polity broke out in protests. But if fashion designer Sanjana Jon is to be believed, racism not only against members of a certain community but any Asian, is rampant in America. Sanjana has been fighting foru00a0 her brother Anand Jon, who has been convicted of several counts of sexual abuse and is facing trail for a few more in the US and is in Los Angeles Men's Central Jail since March 2007.

Anand Jon

"Look at the way Shah Rukh is being treated. People are talking about the incident because the country's most popular film star was targeted. But there is no one to fight for us. Racism and racial attacks are growing in the US and common people are being harassed. If you are an American citizen living outside America, the US government will intervene and make sure you are protected. But when it comes to people of other countries living in America, the government there is apathetic," said Sanjana.

She is convinced her brother is being made a victim of racism. "Anand doesn't have a lawyer and is fighting the case himself. The American prosecutors are asking for a sentence of 167 years, three life times, for crimes he didn't commit. He is innocent and is being discriminated against. He is being targeted because he is an Indian."

Referring to movies like New York and the Pakistani production Khuda ke Liye, which deal with racism against Asians, Sanjana said, "These movies depict the harsh reality. These are not fiction. I want the Indian government to help us. I'm not just fighting for Anand but for all those who have been falsely accused and find themselves trapped in this biased American system."

Biased jury

Interestingly, Sanjana also accused the legal system in the US of being biased. She alleged she was approached by a member of the jury trying Anand for sexual favours in return for 'justice'. She alleges she has the conversation with the jury member recorded on a tape.

"In the US judicial system, even if one member of the jury of 12 is biased, a retrial is recommended. But in Anand's case, jury member Alvin Dymally called me up in November 2008 and told me not to worry. He said he would do anything to help my brother and me if I met him alone at night. I taped the conversation. Obviously he was hinting at sexual favours. When I refused to play along, he got furious and went against us, worsening Anand's case. If I had met him and given in to his inappropriate demands, Anand would not have been suffering the way he is," said Sanjana.

She also alleged that when she wanted to prove the jury was biased, she was stopped from doing so. "Dymally got in touch with me again and as directed by the court, I was wired up to tape the conversation. But the prosecutors did not let that happen and prevented him from talking to me. They made sure Dymally was safe," she added.

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