Activist Medha Patkar booked in Madhya Pradesh for misusing funds
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New Delhi: An FIR has been lodged against social activist and the founder of the Narmada Bachao movement Medha Patkar and eleven others. The Madhya Pradesh police has booked her under section 420 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for allegedly misusing around Rs 13 crores collected in name of education of the tribal children in the Narmada valley.
A complainant named Pritam Raj Badole has registered the FIR alleging that Medha Patkar misled people by impersonating herself as a social worker who works to provide primary-level education to the tribal children of Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, while also providing residential living schools for educational purposes.
The complainant also alleged that the money collected by the Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan trust was being used in funding anti-national activities.
Patkar is the trustee of the Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan trust.
The activist has refuted the allegations and said that the complainant is a member of the student wing of the ruling BJP's ideological mentor the RSS.
"We have the audit report available for every question regarding the financial status. We, in fact, won the case against the Delhi Lieutenant Governor as we do not accept foreign money and always audit our bank accounts. Even in the future, we will keep answering and putting forth the evidence. The complainant is a member of ABVP and is connected with RSS."
"We have used the money to help people generate livelihood and will keep doing it. We have been charged with such allegations in the past as well. We do not accept CSR funds, however, it was only once when we accepted it from a Nandurbar collector and we have already registered the audit for the same," she added.