A Harvard junior is charging that University police arrested him and sent him to jail because he is Black.

Inati Ntshanga alleged in an interview that the arrest was racially-motivated and that one of the arresting officers was influenced by her negative feeling toward him.

Ntshanga--who was later acquitted of charges but will still have a permanent arrest record--requested a University investigation into the police's actions.

After a ten month delay, University Attorney Allan A. Ryan Jr. said he began to investigate the case and, after 22 days, he found that police procedure was proper.

"I consider the matter closed," Ryan said in January 28, 1994 letter to Ntshanga's attorney, Harvey A. Silverglate.

But Ntshanga and his attorney say they are not satisfied with the University's investigation.

"Harvard does it worst when it operates in secrecy," says Silverglate. "They have this idea that if they keep things quiet it is for the benefit of the students."

Police arrested Ntshanga for trespassing in Matthews Hall early on the morning of December 29, 1992, according to documents.

The arrest was made after Ntshanga opened the Matthews door with his key and entered the office where he worked for Harvard Student Agencies (HSA).

Ntshanga, who is from the Republic of South Africa, was taken to Middlesex County Jail where he remained in a cell with convicted felons for roughly two hours before being released into the custody of Dean of Students Archie, C. Epps III.

Police insisted then, as they maintain now, that they were only following procedure.

"I was determined to bail him out," Epps said in an interview this week. "Seeing him in court was very disturbing and frankly he described that he was treated very roughly by the Harvard police."

"He was clearly in shock and deeply disturbed that he received treatment at Harvard of the kind that he feared in South Africa," he added.

Epps confirmed the Ntshanga, who student's story. Ntshanga, who retained Sliverglate on Epps' advice, says he is coming forward publicly now to ensure the "better treatment" of students by Harvard police.

Ntshanga also charges that he was harassed last month by off-duty University police--who stopped him and two Black friends as they walked to Ntshanga's off-campus apartment.