CBI raids activist Harsh Mander's office, residence in FCRA violation probe

• CBI conducts searches at Harsh Mander's office and residence in connection with FCRA violation
• MHA recommended the inquiry into foreign funding related to Aman Biradari, an NGO founded by Mander
• Investigation is linked to a money laundering probe initiated by the Enforcement Directorate in September 2021

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) conducted searches on Friday at the office and residence of retired IAS officer and activist, Harsh Mander, as part of an investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had recommended a CBI inquiry in the previous year, focusing on foreign funding associated with Aman Biradari, an NGO founded by Mander.

The probe, triggered by a money laundering investigation initiated by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in September 2021, revolves around two NGOs linked to Mander. Previously, Mander's residence had been raided during the ED's probe.

 Harsh Mander is a rights activist associated with right to food, right to information, bonded labour and the right of adivasis.He is also the Director of Delhi-based think tank Centre for Equity Studies and author of several books including Between Memory and Forgetting: Massacre and the Modi Years in Gujarat, Partitions of the Heart: Unmaking the Idea of India, The Right to Food Debates: Social Protection for Food Security in India.