The National Investigative Agency investigating Kashmir-based NGOs’ link to terrorism financing has found evidence showing that the organizations misused foreign donations from African and European countries to support terrorists in the valley.
Eleven locations were raided by the NIA on Wednesday: nine in Srinagar, one in Bandipora and Bengaluru each. Although the FIR registered by NIA last week only names “trusts and NGOs” rather than specific names, officials told News18 that the following organizations were under the scanner: Jakat, Fala-e-insaniyat, JKCS-Jammu and Kashmir Coalition for Civil Society. APDPK-Association of Parents of Missing Persons and Athrout.
Several incriminating electronic documents and devices were seized, the NIA said in a statement. Those whose facilities were searched include Khurram Parvez (coordinator of the J&K Civil Society Coalition), his associates Parvez Ahmad Bukhari, Parvez Ahmad Matta and Bangalore associate Smitha Sheshadri, as well as Parveena Ahanger, president of the Parents Association of Missing people. (APDP). The offices of the NGO Athrout and GK Trust were also searched, the statement added.
Senior NIA officials told News18: “These NGOs were not registered, they were not licensed by the FCRA. However, they were receiving funding from Pakistan, Europe and even countries like Fiji and East Timor.” Agency officials claimed that the money flowing into these NGOs was misused to support “cadres of terrorist groups” and also to create publications that “deliberately sowed seeds of discontent against the Indian government, portraying the Indian army as an oppressive military and ignore human rights violations committed by terrorists. “
Authorities said that during the searches, “incriminating evidence was found on the suspect’s digital devices and evidence indicating the money trail.” “Crores broke into these organizations, but an individual associated with an NGO said he did not have a bank account,” said an NIA official involved in the investigation.
Another official added that evidence has been found against the suspect Smitha Sheshadri, who works with the Bangalore-based tourism NGO Equation. “So far there is nothing to implicate Equation, but Sheshadri’s role has been reinforced by evidence seized during searches. Digital devices have shown incriminating evidence,” the officer said.
The NIA is shipping the digital devices to forensic science labs. The agency has alleged that the raided journalists and activists used their “pen as a weapon against India.”
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