India: Modi govt assault on NGO funding contiinues - Foreign funding licence cancelled for ANHAD

PRESS RELEASE
ANHAD FCRA CANCELLEATION

We have been informed by the media that the Home Ministry has today cancelled the FCRA of ANHAD.

Immediately after Modi became the PM, Anhad faced an enquiry from the Home Ministry in June 2014. In November 2015 the Home Ministry did the second enquiry where 4 trunk full of material was sent to them.

In March 2016 the FCRA was renewed. Today it has been cancelled!!

The scenario is like the demonetization notices. Govt can’t make up its mind what it wants to do. This govt has repeatedly shown that it is inefficient, indecisive yet extremely vindictive and fascist. If it had to cancel the FCRA it should have done after the November, 2015 enquiry. Why did they renew the FCRA then and why have they cancelled it now?

It is very clear that a govt which thinks its fine to have 100% FDI in many areas including defense, cannot afford the dissenting voices to have any access to funds. Notices were also sent in 2014 to donors who donated more than 10,000 rupees to ANHAD from within India. So its not only the foreign funds that are being questioned. Any support to ANHAD and such other organizations is being suppressed.

We refuse to be cowed down by these draconian measures and mortgage the definition of ‘national interest’, ‘nationalism’ & ‘patriotism’. The present attack on us is a continuation of similar draconian measures taken during the past three years by the present government in almost every sphere of intellectual activity and freedom of expression.

The cancellation of our FCRA is a certificate of the fact that our voices and work has always been on the sides of the most marginalized and against the oppressors.

We shall continue to resist the attack on the constitutional rights of the people of India.


Shabnam Hashmi
On behalf of ANHAD
15 Dec 2016