Farmers Movement Archive

Farmers' protest: ED launches probe into farm stir funds

NEW DELHI: Acting on the basis of FIRs registered by Delhi Police against the leaders of farmers’ unions in connection with the Republic Day violence, the Enforcement Directorate has initiated a money laundering investigation into the source of funds used for mobilisation of farmers and for organising dharnas on the outskirts of the Capital for the last two months. Sources said the investigation will focus on NGOs which organised funds for the protests and cases under Prevention of Money Laundering Act will be registered once the preliminary probe got over. “Not necessarily all named in the FIRs would face charges under PMLA, but those funding the agitation with money received from unknown or illegitimate sources will be booked and their properties attached,” a source said. For some time, the anti-money laundering agency had been keeping close surveillance on leading hawala dealers active in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana who could have been the conduit for bringing money from abroad for the protests against the government. Delhi Police have filed more than 25 FIRs against farm leaders for the Republic Day raids on Red Fort and other parts of central Delhi. The police claimed that 394 of its personnel were injured in the rioting that went on for several hours. Red Fort was finally cleared of protesters close to midnight. The police have already issued ‘lookout’ notices against 44 people named in the FIRs. The names include all prominent faces of the agitation such as Satnam Singh Pannu, Darshan Pal, Bota Singh, V M Singh, Rakesh Tikait, Yogendra Yadav and Medha Patkar. The government had earlier claimed before the Supreme Court during a hearing on farm laws that members of some banned Khalistani organisations had infiltrated the protests and were out to disrupt peace. The court had refused to intervene when the Centre requested to restrict the protesters from taking out a ‘tractor parade’ as it was intended to disrupt the R-Day function. The SC said maintaining law and order was the responsibility of Delhi Police.

The Times of India

2021-01-30

India