Renowned activist Medha Patkar was charged for allegedly exploiting donation funds on Monday. Madhya Pradesh Police had filed an FIR against Patkar and 11 others for exploiting money that was collected for the purpose of education for tribal children. The charge comes under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code: Cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property. It may lead to up to 7 years of imprisonment and a fine.
Pritam Raj Badole, the plaintiff who registered the FIR with the police stated that Patkar claimed to implement education and accommodation for children in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.
The Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan Trust, the NGO that Patkar and the accused are associated with, collected around 13 crore rupees in the last 14 years. A preliminary investigation could not trace the source as well as the expenditure of the sum.
“More than 4 crore rupees have been recovered from the 10 bank accounts of the trust.”
Pritam Raj Badole, Plaintiff
The trust is an NGO that predominantly works for the tribal population and ensures that their rights are secured and exercised.
Patkar has dismissed the allegations, saying that she has answer for every false allegation and noted that the plaintiff is a member of ABVP and RSS, both right-wing Hindu nationalist organizations.
“We have used the money to help people generate livelihood ad will keep doing it. We have been chaged with such allegations in history as well…”
Medha Patkar
Featured Image: Wikimedia Commons
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