NEW DELHI, Sept 7: The Income Tax Department is conducting searches at the Delhi offices of independent think tank Centre for Policy Research and charity organisation Oxfam India; and at Bengaluru-based Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) that partly funds a number of digital media outlets such as The Caravan, The Print and Swarajya.
Sources in the tax department said that the “surveys” are connected to simultaneous action in Haryana, Maharashtra and Gujarat, among other places, “over funding of more than 20 registered but non-recognised political parties.” No official statement is out yet but it is reported to be part of a probe over foreign donations.
IPSMF funds a number of media organisations, many of which are known for investigative stories that question the governments of the day. The most recent cover story in The Caravan — a magazine and portal backed by the Foundation — questioned a probe report that “gave a free pass” to PM Narendra Modi over any role in the 2002 Gujarat riots. That Supreme Court recently praised and relied on that SIT report to reject pleas to further investigate the then chief minister Modi. Chairperson of the IPSMF is journalist TS Ninan, while trustees include actor Amol Palekar. Among its donors are the Premji, Godrej and Nilekani business families.
Think tank CPR, too, is known to examine government policy with a critical eye. It was once headed by academician Pratap Bhanu Mehta, a prominent critic of the current BJP government. At present its governing board is chaired by Meenakshi Gopinath, who taught at Jawaharlal Nehru University and was principal of Lady Shri Ram College in Delhi. Established in 1973, CPR lists “asking the relevant questions” among its goals.
Also facing raids is Oxfam India, which is part of a global consortium of NGOs under the Oxfam umbrella. Its website says it “campaigns with the public to demand policy changes from governments for creating a just and inclusive country as envisioned in the Indian Constitution.” A team of more than 10 officers is inside the CPR office at Chanakyapuri since noon, sources said. The surveys are likely to go on through the night. Staff have not been allowed to leave.
(Manas Dasgupta)
