NGO booked for using funds to push religious conversions: CBI

NEWDELHI:The Central Bureau of Investigation has registered a case against a Chennai-based NGO, Caruna Bal Vikas, for allegedly receiving crores of rupees from Colorado-based donor, Compassion International, which it alleges was used to convert people. The international donor shut down its India operations in March 2017 after the ban, causing some tension in Indo-US relations at the time.

The Narendra Modi-led government barred Compassion International from funding Indian NGOs without its permission in May 2016 over allegations of conversions.

At the time, US lawmakers requested India to reconsider its decision. The then US secretary of state John Kerry, during his visit in 2017, tried to convince then external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj to reconsider.

The Union home ministry said then that money given to Caruna Bal Vikas by Compassion International was being diverted for conversion activities to NGOs owing allegiance to the Methodist

Church, Baptist Church, Salvation Army, Christian Missionary Society and Indian Pentecostal Church, in violation of the law.

To be sure, CBI has not named Compassion International as an accused in its FIR registered last Thursday. However, its name is in the FIR in reference to funding Caruna Bal Vikas.

In its FIR, reviewed by HT, CBI has alleged that Caruna Bal Vikas, which was registered under Foreign Contribution Registration Act (FCRA), “has invariably indulged in religious activities” despite stating the nature of association as economic, educational and social in its account of foreign contributions filed from financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15.

“Further, special audit conducted by the Income Tax department reveal that a part of foreign

CBI HAS ALLEGED THAT THE NGO HAS INDULGED IN RELIGIOUS ACTIVITIES DESPITE STATING THE NATURE OF ASSOCIATION AS ECONOMIC, SOCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL

receipts has been used for religious activities by CBV. Further, CBV has, inter alia, declared its long term objective of ‘converting poor children into fulfilled Christian adults’, and thus engaged in religious activities including conversions to Christianity,” CBI FIR states.

“As per the IT report, CBV utilized only 10% of foreign contribution for the purpose it was meant for, while the remaining 90% was diverted to 300 NGOs in Tamil Nadu, Kerala and other states. Some of the NGOs are not FCRA registered,” it adds.

Subsequently, another company, Adhane Management Consultants Pvt Ltd, Chennai, was created in July 2014 after action by IT department on CBV. “After AMCPL was registered, the funding of Compassion InternationalUSA, which was earlier channelled through CBV, was shifted to AMCPL,” states CBI FIR.

AMCPL is named as accused in CBI along with CBV. Both have been charged under criminal conspiracy and FCRA act.

An email sent to Compassion International remained unanswered. CBV’s office bearers could not be located .