Indian police raid home of environmental activists over anti-fossil fuel campaign | India

Police raided the home of one of India’s leading environmental activists, saying his campaign for a treaty to reduce the use of fossil fuels harmed the national interest.

Investigators with India’s Enforcement Directorate (ED) say Harjeet Singh and his wife, Jyoti Awasthi, co-founders of Satat Sampada (Nature Forever), were paid nearly £500,000 to advocate for a Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty (FFNPT).

The ED is a law enforcement agency under the Indian Ministry of Finance and is responsible for enforcing economic laws and investigating financial crimes. In a statement, the agency said it carried out searches at Singh’s home and Satat Sampada properties “as part of an ongoing investigation into suspicious foreign remittances received under the guise of consulting charges” from climate campaign groups, “which in turn received huge funds from previous flagship NGOs like Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors.”

“However, cross-checking of records by overseas senders indicates that the funds were actually intended to promote the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty agenda in India,” the agency said.

The FFNPT Initiative is an international campaign calling for a treaty to stop the exploration of new fossil fuels and phase out their use. First approved by the Pacific island nations of Vanuatu and Tuvalu, it has the support of 17 national governments, the World Health Organization and the European Parliament, as well as a constellation of civil society figures.

ED officials said, “Although touted as a climate initiative, its adoption could expose India to legal challenges at international forums like the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and seriously undermine the country’s energy security and economic development. »

They said that during their search they found a large cache of whiskey, exceeding legal limits, at Singh’s home in Delhi and informed local police, who subsequently arrested him and released him on bail on Monday evening.

The agency said it was investigating trips Singh took to Pakistan and Bangladesh last year, including how they were financed.

Singh and Aswati said in a statement that they were not authorized to share details of the case for legal reasons, but added: “We categorically state that the reported allegations are baseless, biased and misleading.” »

Singh is a familiar figure in COP climate negotiations, having worked for more than two decades with international NGOs and climate campaigns, including ActionAid and the Climate Action Network.

Civil society organizations in India under Narendra Modi have faced severe pressure. Nearly 17,000 licenses to receive foreign funding have been suspended and a large number of civil society organizations have closed their doors.

According to an anonymous ED officer quoted by the Hindustan Times, the investigation into Singh began based on intelligence received from Cop30, which was held in Belém, Brazil, last November. Other activists “whose climate campaigns could be inimical to India’s energy security” were also being investigated, another unnamed officer said.

The ED accused Singh of running Satat Sampada as a front, publicly projecting itself as a company marketing organic products while its “primary activity appears to be channeling foreign funds to spread narratives advancing the FFNPT cause in India, on behalf of foreign influencer groups”.

The agency said the company operated at a loss until 2021, when payments from campaign groups, recorded as “consultancy services” and “agricultural sales”, changed its fortunes.

“The ED suspects misrepresentation and misrepresentation on the nature and purpose of foreign funds received by SSPL. The agency is investigating the full extent of the alleged violations…and whether the funded activities were contrary to national interest, particularly India’s energy security,” it said.

Singh and Aswati said they started Satat Sampada with their own savings and loans secured against their home in 2016, and the organization’s consulting and management services expanded in 2021 after Singh quit his full-time job to focus more on his work.

“His work and contributions are well documented in print, digital, television and social media, as well as on public platforms,” they said.