Three leading organisations representing the business community of Nepal have expressed their serious objection to the arrest of Kantipur Media Group Chairman Kailash Sirohiya.

Issuing a joint statement on Thursday, the Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FNCCI), the Confederation of Nepalese Industries and the Nepal Chamber of Commerce said that the practice of arresting anyone and detaining them just based on a complaint was not only giving a very wrong message in general but also demoralising investors.

“For a long time, the FNCCI, CNI and the NCC have been raising the voice for a system to give a chance of hearing first instead of detaining someone just based on a complaint,” reads the joint statement. “The tendency of detaining someone before listening to them has negatively impacted the business sector.”

They have suggested that the investigating agencies may take some guarantee in advance, if needed, and take legal actions only after the accusations are substantiated in preliminary investigation.

The three organisations have said Nepal is undergoing an economic crisis and both the government and private sectors have been taking initiatives to make joint efforts to improve the situation promoting domestic as well as foreign investments.

“An atmosphere of investment can’t be built by disgracing and demoralising business people. At this crucial juncture, all the business people–small or big–need encouragement from the government,” the statement read. “In such a context, no one should take any action that may worsen the situation.”

Police arrested Sirohiya from his office at the KMG headquarters in Thapathali, Kathmandu on Tuesday. The police subsequently took him to Dhanusha, where a complaint was filed against him.

The Dhanusha District Court on Wednesday remanded him for three days in custody.