New Delhi: A group of 610 citizens have issued a solidarity statement following the Income Tax Department’s survey on six non-governmental organisations last week.
The statement signed by social worker Aruna Roy, Anu Aga, Kashmir Times editor Anuradha Bhasin, Aakar Patel, Biswajeet of Gandhi Peace Foundation among others said that since September 7, an array of non-profits, including a think tank, some international NGOs and a funding agency for independent media, have been “raided” and subjected to intrusive, sweeping seizures of information by income tax authorities without any reasons being provided.
“In the wake of these alarming, unfounded raids this statement is in solidarity with all of us, including the personnel from the Income Tax Department ordered to carry out these raids without questioning either their government or their conscience.
“Because, in the not too distant future, when they come, they will come for us, each one of us. Not just for civil society. Or civil servants. Or any other group. They will come because they don’t make any distinction between a government and the nation it is meant to serve. They will come for anyone who does make that distinction,” it said.
The tax department had launched the survey operation on September 7 against about six voluntary organisations in the country and sources had said the tax authorities looked at their balance sheets vis-a-vis the receipt of funds via the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA).
Sources said the analysis of the documents was continuing and the department may question some executives of these organisations in the coming days.
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