Activists condemn ED raids on Harsh Mander

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, September 16

Several activists and intellectuals on Thursday condemned ED raids on Harsh Mander’s home and offices terming the action as an attempt to harass and intimidate a leading human rights activist who “has done nothing but work for peace and harmony”.

In a signed statement, over 30 activists including Aruna Roy, former member, Planning Commission, Syeda Hameed, economist Jean Dreze, academic Apoorvanand; advocates Indira Jaising, Mihir Desai; People’s Union for Civil Liberties General Secretary V Suresh, PUCL president Ravi Kiran Jain among others, said that over the past year, Harsh Mander and CES have been subjected to continued harassment by multiple state agencies.

“The false and malicious allegations by the National Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) were definitively countered by the Delhi Commission for the Protection of Child Rights (DCPCR), a statutory body, which has filed a strong affidavit in the Delhi High Court, putting an end to the false allegations against CES,” the signatories noted adding that Mander was currently in Berlin at the invitation of the Robert Bosch Academy to join them for the prestigious Richard Von Weizsacker Fellowship. 

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh also tweeted in support of Mander saying “one day after the International Day of Democracy Modi Sarkar continues with FDI obsession – fear, deception and intimidation by harassing a renowned activist and intellectual Harsh Mander”.

The signatories added that CES had also faced harassment at the hands of the Economic Offences Wing and the IT department.

“All these vindictive efforts combined, have shown neither diversion of money nor any violation of the law. The current raids are part of a continuing chain of abuse of state institutions to threaten, intimidate and try to silence every critic of the present government,” the signatories said pledging solidarity with Mander and noting that the “Constitution and law will prevail”.

While ED raided the offices and Vasant Kunj home of Mander, IT department raided a child shelter home run by allied institution Ummeed Aman Ghar in Mehrauli. The raids are ongoing.