FIR against Medha Patkar, 11 others for 'misuse' of funds; she denies allegations
Barwani (PTI): An FIR was registered against Narmada Bachao Andolan leader Medha Patkar and 11 others in Madhya Pradesh's Barwani district on a complaint by a villager alleging the misuse of funds collected for managing educational facilities for tribal students by diverting them for "political and anti-national agenda", police said on Sunday.
Patkar has dismissed the allegations against her as "wrong", saying she had a full account and audit of the expenses and hinted at political reasons behind the allegations.
Barwani superintendent of police Deepak Kumar Shukla told PTI over the phone that a case was registered against Medha Patkar and others following a private complaint, in which the complainant has provided some documents.
"As the case is related to old transactions, a detailed investigation will be carried out," he said.
The FIR was registered at the Barwani police station on Saturday on the complaint of one Pritamraj Badole, a resident of Temla Bujurg village.
Badole has alleged that Narmada Navnirman Abhiyan (NNA), a trust registered in Mumbai, misused funds collected for running residential educational facilities for tribal students of the Narmada Valley in Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra, as per the FIR.
The complainant stated that the NNA had received Rs 13.50 crore from various sources in the past 14 years but these funds were used for a "political and anti-national agenda", which requires a probe.
Those named in the FIR are Medha Patkar, Parveen Rumi Jahangir, Vijaya Chouhan, Kailash Awasya, Mohan Patidar, Ashish Mandloi, Kewal Singh Vasave, Sanjay Joshi, Shyam Patil, Sunit SR, Noorji Padvi and Keshav Vasave.
"The case is related to two states Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra. The documents and facts will be verified and all the parties concerned will be allowed to present their sides and facts. Further legal steps will be taken as per the facts that emerge during the investigation," the SP said.
Rubbishing the allegations, Patkar said she was yet to receive any information on this development (registration of the FIR) from the police.
Patkar claimed it was not the first time that she was being subjected to such allegations and asserted she was ready to reply to all of them as the full accounts and audit of the funds were available.
She alleged the complainant may be associated with the RSS and ABVP and reiterated that her organisation does not receive funds from abroad and all finances are thoroughly audited annually.
"The funds were used appropriately and the 'jiwanshalas' being run at present have been there for the past three decades. The organisation has been involved in rehabilitation for decades. It has always given replies to such allegations with documents," Patkar said.
The activist, however, also said she didn't deal with funds and expenses, which are taken care of by other functionaries.
Patkar, who claimed that a debate is underway in the country on 'rashtravad' (nationalism) and "rashtradroh (treason/sedition), said there may be political reasons behind this case or it may be a conspiracy to defame.
"Those who do the right thing by asking questions about the system are called anti-nationals. The public will decide," she said.
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London, Nov 22: A bomb disposal squad deployed as a “precaution” to the South Terminal of Gatwick Airport concluded an investigation into a "security incident" on Friday after making a “suspect package” safe.
The South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, the UK's second busiest airport after Heathrow, which was briefly shut owing to the incident reopened following the incident.
The Gatwick is around 45 km south of London.
Two people detained during the enquiries have since been allowed to continue their journey as the airport was opened.
“Police have concluded their investigation into a report of a suspect package at Gatwick Airport. Officers from the EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team made the package safe, and the airport has been handed back to its operator,” Sussex Police said in an updated statement.
“Two people detained while enquiries were ongoing have subsequently been allowed to continue their journeys. There will remain an increased police presence in the area to assist with passengers accessing the South Terminal for onward travel,” the statement added.
Earlier on Friday, the incident caused severe disruption at the busy airport’s South Terminal, while the North Terminal of Gatwick Airport remained unaffected.
“Police were called to the South Terminal at Gatwick Airport at 8.20 am on Friday (November 22) following the discovery of a suspected prohibited item in luggage,” a Sussex Police statement said.
“To ensure the safety of the public, staff and other airport users, a security cordon has been put in place whilst the matter is dealt with. As a precaution, an EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team is being deployed to the airport. This is causing significant disruption and some roads around the South Terminal have been closed. We’d advise the public to avoid the area where possible,” it said.
Footage on social media taken outside the airport showed crowds of frustrated travellers being moved away from the terminal building.
Gatwick said it was working hard to resolve the issue.
“A large part of the South Terminal has been evacuated as a precaution while we continue to investigate a security incident," the airport said in a social media post.
“Passengers will not be able to enter the South Terminal while this is ongoing. The safety and security of our passengers and staff remain our top priority. We are working hard to resolve the issue as quickly as possible.”
Train and bus services that serve the airport were also impacted while the police carried out their inquiries.
In an unrelated incident in south London on Friday morning, the US Embassy area in Nine Elms by the River Thames was the scene of a controlled explosion by Scotland Yard dealing with what they believe may have been a “hoax device”.
“We can confirm the 'loud bang' reported in the area a short time ago was a controlled explosion carried out by officers,” the Metropolitan Police said in a post on X.
“Initial indications are that the item was a hoax device. An investigation will now follow. Some cordons will remain in place for the time being but the majority of the police response will now be stood down,” it added.
