ED freezes bank accounts of Greenpeace

The NGO said in a statement that it strongly denies all allegations and the ED action was “part of a larger design to muzzle democratic dissent in the country”.

Official sources in the agency said the searches, under the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA), were conducted on October 5 in Bengaluru as it was detected that it incorporated a commercial entity called DDIIPL in 2016 after the Home Ministry cancelled Greenpeace India Society’s (Chennai) FCRA registration the previous year for alleged violation of norms.

“Every rupee that goes into Greenpeace India’s environmental work is a donation made by ecologically conscious people in the country.... Greenpeace India’s work for clean air, promotion of renewable energy, safe food for all and climate change mitigation is carried out with a unique combination of passion and professionalism. We strongly object to attempts of  defaming Greenpeace India through false claims and accusations,” the NGO said.

The ED said Ms Direct Dialogue Initiatives India Pvt Ltd was created to “facilitate operational activities of Greenpeace” and claimed it received FDI of Rs 99 lakh from a Netherland-based organisation.