The Crime Branch CID of the Tamil Nadu police on Wednesday night registered a case against two NGOs based on allegations that they diverted foreign funds meant for education/development to finance the agitation against the Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP).
Acting on a complaint lodged by the Ministry of Home Affairs, the CBCID registered a case against ‘Good Vision' in Karungal, Kanyakumari district and ‘Trust for Rural Uplift and Education' in Vadakankulam, Tirunelveli district, under the provisions of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act, 2010, sources in the agency told The Hindu .
The move comes after the MHA prohibited one of the NGOs from receiving foreign funds following its alleged involvement in the KKNPP agitation.
Though no arrests were made till late on Thursday, the sources said special teams of the CBCID were making enquiries about the extent of foreign funds received by the NGOs, bank transactions and details of expenditure.
Parrying questions on the quantum of funds diverted to the KKNPP agitation, a senior official in the investigating agency said money meant for education or development was reportedly diverted for some other purpose.
“The information is that these two NGOs provided monetary or logistic support to the KKNPP agitations. The quantum of charity funds may run into a few lakh of rupees…but the crux of the investigation is to ascertain whether foreign funds were misused or not.”
Surveillance cameras
In a separate development, the State police advised the Nuclear Power Corporation of India Ltd. (NPCIL) authorities to install a Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) network as part of the security measures.
“We have suggested that cameras be installed at the main gates and on the shore side of the plant. Heightened security arrangements are in place around the KKNPP site and prohibitory orders under Section 144 of Cr.PC have been clamped within a 2-km radius (of the plant),” Deputy Inspector General of Police (Tirunelveli Range) V. Varadaraju said.
Besides 22 companies of the Tamil Nadu Special Police and five platoons of the State Armed Reserve personnel, two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), were deployed around the plant.
“A three-tier security cordon is being maintained at the site,” he said.
