TiE, Nasscom decry harassment against Stayzilla founders, term it 'terrorism' 

The outcry against the arrest and the, preceding and subsequent, harassment alleged by the founders -- Yogendra Vasupal, his wife Rupal and Sanchit Singhi -- has spread across the country. 

CHENNAI: The arrest of Stayzilla founder and CEO Yogendra Vasupal for fraud, even as allegations fly back and forth of harassment and foul play, is a bad sign said industry representatives, with TiE Chennai's president R Narayanan terming the "harassment" as "terrorism". 
 
Speaking to the press, Narayanan and a panel that included the apex IT industry body National Association of Software and Services Companies’ (NASSCOM’s) regional director K Purushothaman, expressed dissatisfaction with the way the arrest and probe has been carried out. Narayanan termed it an instance of terrorism. "... in all states, we put up with bureaucracy and corruption, not just Tamil Nadu. Now we are having to put up with terrorism," he said. 
 
TiE Chennai's statement also said that the situation was "ugly" and threatened to take Tamil Nadu, the State where the arrest was made and the fraud case has been filed, "back to the medieval period". 
 
"A quick pulse taken among start-ups in the State tells us that there has been a drop in morale," Narayanan added. 
 
The outcry against the arrest and the, preceding and subsequent, harassment alleged by the founders -- Yogendra Vasupal, his wife Rupal and Sanchit Singhi -- has spread across the country. 
 
"Let the law take its course, but intimidation of #stayzilla founders crosses a line. It's unhealthy for entrepreneurship in India. We stand together with entrepreneurs. @PMOIndia, #StartupIndia needs your support!," tweeted executive chairman of Flipkart, Sachin Bansal. 
 
Meanwhile, SnapDeal's founder Kumar Bahl also tweeted out in support of the start-up and its founders. "Many startup founders, including myself, have seen the ugliness of getting on the wrong side of people with bad intentions. #stayzilla," he said. 
 
Nasscom meanwhile, stated that they were not commenting on whether Stayzilla was in the wrong. "What we are concerned with is the harassment meted out," said Purushothaman. 

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