india

Updated: Jul 30, 2014 19:26 IST

Two Greenpeace India activists have been arrested on charges of possessing and operating a wireless set without licence, in Singrauli district of Madhya Pradesh, the police said.

However, Greenpeace India accused the police of implicating the activists, Akshay Gupta and Rahul Gupta, under false charges to scuttle their campaign.

The Greenpeace India has been active in Singrauli district, about 780 km north east of Bhopal, for about four years, protesting against proposed coal mining projects in Mahan forest area.

The arrests were made from the base camp of the organisation at village Amelia. A police team that recovered the high-frequency wireless set and other equipment came under attack from the activists, said Singrauli superintendent of police D Kalyan Chakraborty.

But senior Greenpeace India campaigner Priya Pillai said, "We are using a walky-talky and we have a valid license. What the police have seized is a mobile phone signal booster and a solar panel."

Greenpeace India has been in the eye of a storm after an Intelligence Bureau report said the NGO was one of the voluntary groups working for stalling development projects with agitations.

Minister of state for home Kiren Rijiju told Rajya Sabha recently that the Greenpeace India had received Rs 22 crore in donations from 2010-13.