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Indian authorities raid Amnesty International office

India's economic intelligence unit has raided the southern Indian office of rights group Amnesty International, alleging it violated laws involving foreign funding

Indian authorities raid Amnesty International office Image Source : APIndian authorities raid Amnesty International office

NEW DELHI (AP) — India's economic intelligence unit has raided the southern Indian office of rights group Amnesty International, alleging it violated laws involving foreign funding.

Group spokesperson Smriti Singh says the raid started Thursday afternoon and was continuing into the night.

The New Delhi Television news channel reports that the Enforcement Directorate accused Amnesty International of bypassing Indian laws and illegally receiving 360 million rupees ($4.86 million) from abroad for its activities in the region.

Singh says the group would issue a statement after the raid was over in its office in Bangalore, the capital of Karnataka state.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government took office in 2014, thousands of humanitarian and rights groups have lost their registrations to receive foreign funding, effectively shutting many down.

Disclaimer: This is unedited, unformatted feed from the Associated Press (AP) wire.