FIR Registered Against Activist Medha Patkar, 11 Others Over Alleged Misuse Of Funds For 'Anti-National' Activities

The Madhya Pradesh police on Sunday, July 10, registered a case against 11 people, including Medha Patkar, a social activist and founder of the 'Narmada Bachao' movement, for allegedly misusing the donation money.

A complainant named Pritam Raj Badole has alleged the activist and others for misusing around Rs 13 crores collected to educate tribal children. He claimed that the money collected by the Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan (NNA) trust was being utilised to fund anti-national activities.

However, Patkar has denied the allegations and said that the Badole is a member of the student wing of the ruling Bhartiya Janata Party's ideological mentor, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS).

FIR Registered Against Patkar And Others

The complainant registered the First Information Report (FIR) with the Badwani district police under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

He alleged that the activist misled people by parodying herself as a social worker who works to provide primary-level education to the tribal children of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra while also providing residential living schools for educational purposes.

In the initial enquiry, the police discovered that the NNA trust had collected Rs 13 crores in the last 14 years, with unidentified sources and expenditures. According to the complaint, cash worth over Rs 1.5 crore was recovered during the investigation, with unclear audits for withdrawal and spending. Badole alleged that "More than Rs 4 crore have been recovered from the 10 bank accounts of the Trust," reported The Print.

The FIR also accused Patkar of misleading the Court by presenting her annual income as Rs 6,000 while Rs 19 lakh was retrieved from her savings account.

However, the police booked Medha Patkar; they have abstained from commenting on the matter.

Activist Refuses The Allegations Against Her

The activist has refused the allegations against her and stated that while she has not received any official notice from the police, she was ready with an answer to every charge.

Asserting that the complainant has connections with Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of BJP's ideological mentor of the RSS, Patkar said, "We have the audit report available for every question regarding the financial status. We, in fact, won the case against the Delhi Lieutenant Governor as we do not accept foreign money and always audit our bank accounts. Even in the future, we will keep answering and putting forth the evidence. The complainant is a member of ABVP and is connected with RSS," reported The Times of India.

She said that her trust used the money to help people generate livelihood, and they will continue to do it. She added they had been charged with such allegations previously also. Further, they do not accept CSR funds; however, they did once from a Nandurbar collector and have already registered the audit for the same.

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