Income Tax exemption of activist Harsh Mander’s NGO cancelled
New Delhi: The Income Tax Department has cancelled the registration of the Aman Biradari NGO, founded by human rights activist Harsh Mander, under s. 12A of the Income Tax Act. This revocation means the organisation will no longer be exempt from paying income tax, Mander told Scroll on Wednesday.
Mander stated that the tax authorities had first issued a notice regarding the cancellation three months ago, to which the NGO responded about one-and-a-half months back. However, he added that the department’s order did not address any of the points raised by the organisation to explain its stance.
The department cited two primary reasons for the cancellation. First, it alleged that Aman Biradari failed to provide the permanent account numbers (PAN) of certain individuals who donated to its crowdfunding drive during the Covid-19 pandemic. According to Mander, the funds collected through the drive were used to provide food for underprivileged people during the pandemic. He claimed that the NGO was not legally required to provide PAN details at that time.
The second reason cited was that creating communication material on interfaith harmony was not among the stated objectives of the NGO when seeking exemption under s. 12A. Mander, however, stated that interfaith harmony was clearly listed as one of the objectives of Aman Biradari.
Despite the order, Mander affirmed that the organisation would continue its activities. “We have worked with many violence-affected individuals, including survivors of the 2020 Delhi violence and the ethnic conflict in Manipur. We will not let this hinder our work,” he said.
Aman Biradari is described as a campaign for a secular, peaceful, just, and humane society. In March, the Union Home Ministry recommended a CBI investigation into alleged violations of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA) by the NGO. Earlier in February, the CBI filed an FIR against Mander and the Centre for Equity Studies, another trust linked to him, for alleged violations of FCRA norms.
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Jharkhand horror: Man kills live-in partner, chops body into 40 pieces
Ranchi (PTI): A 25-year-old man, who works as a butcher, allegedly strangled to death his live-in partner and chopped her body into 40 to 50 pieces in a forested area in Jharkhand’s Khunti district, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, identified as Naresh Bhengra, was arrested.
The matter came to light after around a fortnight after the killing when a stray dog was found with human body parts near Jordag village in Jariagarh police station on November 24.
Bhengra was in a live-in relationship with the deceased, a 24-year-old woman also from Khunti district, in Tamil Nadu for the past couple of years. Sometime back, he returned to Jharkhand, got married to another woman without telling his partner anything and went back to the southern state without his wife to join her.
"The brutal incident occurred on November 8 when they reached Khunti as the accused who had married another woman did not wish to take her home. Instead, he took her to a forest near his house at Jordag village in Jariagarh police station and chopped the body into pieces. The man has been arrested," Khunti Superintendent of Police Aman Kumar told PTI.
Inspector Ashok Singh who investigated the case said the man worked in a butcher shop in Tamil Nadu and was expert in slicing chicken.
“He admitted chopping the body parts of the woman into 40 to 50 pieces before leaving those in the forest for wild animals to feast on. The police recovered several parts on November 24 after a dog in the area was seen with a hand," Singh told PTI.
Singh said that the woman, who was unaware of his marriage, pressured him to return to Khunti. After reaching Ranchi, they boarded a train on November 24 and headed to the man's village.
"Under a plan, the man took her to Khunti in an autorickshaw near his home and asked her to wait. He returned with sharp weapons and strangulated her with her dupatta after raping her. He then cut the body into 40 to 50 pieces and left for his home to live with his wife," Singh said.
The woman, however, had informed her mother that she had boarded a train and would be living with her partner, the police officer said.
Following the recovery of body parts, a bag was also found in the forest with the murdered woman's belongings including her Aadhaar card. The mother of the woman was called at the spot and she identified her daughter's belongings.
"The mother suspected the man behind the crime who after being nabbed by the police admitted to chopping the woman into pieces," the official added.
The incident has sent shockwaves among people in the region, with the Shraddha Walker murder case of 2022 still fresh in their memory.
Walker was killed by her live-in partner who chopped her body into pieces before dumping them in the jungle in South Delhi’s Mehrauli.
