The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday raided Amnesty International India's office in Bengaluru. The raid was carried out in connection with violation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The raids come a year after Enforcement Directorate held investigations into charges that the rights group had attempted to bypass the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act by floating a commercial entity, Amnesty International India Pvt Ltd.
An Amnesty International India executive, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about half-a-dozen CBI sleuths arrived at about 8.30 am at the Bengaluru office and carried out searches till 5 pm."
In a statement, the human rights watchdog said: "Over the past year, a pattern of harassment has emerged every time Amnesty India stands up and speaks out against human rights violations in India. It said that it stands in full compliance with Indian and international law.
Our work in India, as elsewhere, is to uphold and fight for universal human rights. These are the same values that are enshrined in the Indian Constitution and flow from a long and rich Indian tradition of pluralism, tolerance, and dissent, it added.
About a year ago, the Enforcement Directorate had raided the Amnesty International India office in connection with a foreign exchange contravention case.
The searches were in connection with alleged violation of foreign direct investment norms linked to a previous case of revocation of Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) licence of the NGO by the Home Ministry in 2010.
(With PTI inputs)
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