New Delhi: Non-governmental environmental organisation Greenpeace is yet again in news after alleging that one of its international staff member Aaron Gray-Block was refused entry into India on Saturday despite having a valid business visa. Greenpeace has claimed that no formal reason was given by the immigration officials for the decision and he was not even officially deported.
"Our colleague has a valid business visa, and yet he was prevented from entering India with no reason given. We support the free movement of people across the world, which is crucial to the work of business as well as charities. Greenpeace International is a global organisation that helps to find solutions to environmental problems. There is absolutely no reason why one of its staff members should be treated in such an arbitrary way, and we expect the Ministry of Home Affairs to offer a full explanation. We are forced to wonder if all international staff of Greenpeace will now be prevented from entering the country? If the Home Minister Rajnath Singh has a stand on this, then we would like him to state it clearly," Programme Director, Greenpeace India Divya Raghunandan said.
"The treatment of Aaron Gray-Block is just the latest in a series of attempts by the Indian government to obstruct the work of the environmental group. Greenpeace India faces a coordinated crackdown orchestrated by the Indian Ministry of Home Affairs. On 9 April, Indian Home Minister Rajnath Singh blocked Greenpeace India's bank accounts for which the environmental group had to seek interim relief from the Delhi High Court," the NGO said in a statement.
A Greenpeace India activist was in January 2014 stopped from boarding a flight to London by immigration officials in New Delhi, prompting the environment group to accuse the government of intimidation. However, officials said that she was barred from leaving the country due to a look-out circular against her.
Earlier as well, a UK national working for Greenpeace was been barred from entering India in September 2014. Ben Hargreaves, a Briton who had been travelling to India for a meeting at the local Greenpeace office, was stopped by immigration officials at Delhi airport and told he could not enter the country although he had previously travelled to India without any problems.
The Centre has been tough against the Greenpeace India in the recent past. In April 2015, the Government froze seven accounts of the NGO and barred it from receiving foreign funds by suspending its licence for six months. The government had alleged that it has "prejudicially" affected India's public and economic interests. The environmental activist group was also served a notice by the government which asked why its registration should not be cancelled permanently.
The decision was taken by the Union Home Ministry after it was found that the NGO had "prejudicially affected the public interests and economic interests of the country in violation" of the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act.
Reacting to the move, Greenpeace India had said that it will not be "cowed" down by a "campaign against dissent" and is seeking legal counsel in the matter. It had termed the government action as a "smear" campaign and vowed to continue work towards clean air, water and inclusive development in India.
In a dossier on Greenpeace India, prepared after more than six month long investigation on the activities of the NGO, the Home Ministry had said that foreign contribution was used "to influence and lobby for the formation of government policies". In its notice to the Greenpeace, the Home Ministry said it has been found that multiple transfers were made to multiple accounts including inter-account transfers from utilisation account without any intimation or permission of the government.
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