FIR registered against activist Medha Patkar, 11 others over misuse of funds for ‘anti-national agenda’
The activist, however, also said she didn’t deal with funds and expenses, which are taken care of by other functionaries.
An FIR was registered on Sunday against Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and 11 others in Madhya Pradesh’s Barwani district on a complaint by a villager alleging misuse of funds collected for managing educational facilities for tribal students by diverting them for a “political and anti-national agenda.”
The FIR filed by the complainant accuses Patkar of allegedly squandering more than Rs 13 crore that was supposed to be used for the education of tribal children.
In addition, the complaint accused the Trust of abusing the funds by failing to produce accounting for all donations generated for the tribal poor and their education between 2007 and 2022.
Police have registered the case and an investigation is going on.
Patkar has dismissed the allegations against her as ”wrong”, saying she had a full account and audit of the expenses and hinted at political reasons behind the allegations.
Barwani superintendent of police Deepak Kumar Shukla told PTI over the phone that a case was registered against Medha Patkar and others following a private complaint, in which the complainant has provided some documents.
Patkar argued that these accusations were not being made against her for the first time and that she was prepared to respond to each one since the complete accounting and audit of the funds were available.
She asserted that the complainant might be connected to the RSS and the ABVP and reaffirmed the fact that her organisation does not get funding from overseas and that all finances are meticulously reviewed annually.
”The funds were used appropriately and the ‘jiwanshalas’ being run at present have been there for the past three decades. The organisation has been involved in rehabilitation for decades. It has always given replies to such allegations with documents,” Patkar said.
The activist, however, also said she didn’t deal with funds and expenses, which are taken care of by other functionaries.
Indian social activist and former politician Medha Patkar has worked on a variety of significant political and economic issues raised by tribals, Dalits, farmers, labourers, and women in India who are subjected to injustice. She is the founder of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, a 32-year-old organisation with branches in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Maharashtra.
This story has not been edited by News Mania staff and is published from a syndicated feed
Photo: Internet
