188 NGOs - The crackdown has begun

India

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Feb 4: The Indian government has decided that that media hypocrisy or unwarranted pressure is not going to bog down the probe against the NGO's which have been funding extremism, stage managing protests or indulging in conversions.

The list of 188 NGOs, which is with the Home Ministry will be thoroughly probed and severe action taken if found guilty, a home ministry official informed OneIndia News. This list has been drawn up by the Intelligence Bureau after conducting years of investigation which started in the year 2006.

Cause for concern:

While one part of the Intelligence Bureau probe dealt with the NGOs that were getting in funds to block developmental projects, there are several in the list which have funded both extremism and terrorism.

This is not a witch hunt as alleged by some of the NGOs, an IB official who was part of the probe informed. If they are clear then they have no cause for concern. There are over 25 lakh NGOs in the country and we have not gone around blatantly targeting everyone.

We have a specific list of 188, which have been under the radar for long. No amount of warning or requests seeking details have been forthcoming which led us to keeping them under watch.

A naxalite school of thought:

During the course of the investigation it was found that several NGOs had adopted a naxalite school of thought. The idea is to use the foreign funds to stir up the passion against the poor and keep them agitating against developmental projects.

"When there is a problem there is also a solution to it. In many of these cases we found that despite attempts to bring them to the table and trying to resolve the problem, they were adamant," an officer points out.

It appeared as though they were justifying every penny of the foreign fund given to them which was only aimed at keeping the issue boiling, the officer further informed.

It was a very naxalite school of thought that we found among most of these NGO's. While the naxalites coax the poor to protest against development with threats, the NGO's did it with money, the probe also found.

NGOs from Bangladesh:

Revival of Islamic Heritage Society (RIHS), Rabita Al-Alam Al-Islami, Society of Social Reforms, Qatar Charitable Society, Al-Muntada Al-Islami, Islamic Relief Agency, Al-Forkan Foundation, International Relief Organization, Kuwait Joint Relief Committee and the Muslim Aid Bangladesh.

The above mentioned names are of those NGOs which have consistently supported the Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen, Bangladesh. While the JMB has always targeted the Awami League of Bangladesh, the problem today is in our backyard in the form of Burdhwan.

The same NGO's have spread their tentacles into India and if the government does not act quick will turn out to be the primary financers of the Al-Jihad an outfit comprising the SIMI, JMB and the Al-Qaeda in the sub-continent.

Future course of action:

The Home Ministry has decided that it will keep under watch all the 188 NGO's. The Home ministry on its part has also directed the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Board of Direct Taxes to keep a close watch on all these NGOs and act if they find funding which is not accounted.

A home ministry official said that for several years now the funding by these NGO's were only being watched, but action was never taken. However now with the looming threat of terrors, conversions and anti developmental activities, the time had come to act.

OneIndia News