On Friday, the security agencies as directed by the Ministry of Home Affairs have begun an investigation into the foreign funds received by a Kerala-based NGO named Relief and Charitable Foundation of India (RCFI). The agencies claim that RCFI diverted the donation money to Punjab through Jammu and Kashmir to construct three mosques in the Faridkot district of Punjab.
According to the reports, RCFI has no branch in Punjab. The foreign funds received by the NGO were diverted by two residents of Baramulla, Kashmir towards the construction of Mosques built between 2015 and 2017. Further, the construction of mosques located within 70 km of the Pakistan border was also supervised by the two Kashmiri residents.
The Ministry of Home Affairs clearly stated that the Kerala-based NGO had diverted Rs 70 crore for the construction before it ceased the funding in August last year. Reportedly, the matter was also looked upon by the security agencies and the Punjab Police.
It is important to note that the Faridkot district in Punjab is a sensitive area and has a less Muslim population. However, more than 200 mosques have been recently built in several border districts of Ferozepur, Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, and Pathankot. Reports mention that the location of the mosques which are close to the border is also the subject of investigation.
The Ministry of Home Affairs last year cancelled the FCRA license of thousands of NGOs registered under the Act. The organizations are awaiting the decision from the government on the renewal of their permissions to receive foreign funds, but are likely to be denied permissions until the scrutiny is cleared. The RCFI claims to have sent a detailed reply to the objections raised by the MHA. The organization says that it is indulged in social work and is suffering due to the ban on international funding imposed by the government.
According to the reports, the Kerala-based NGO claims to have directly reached around 2.35 million people in 24 states with the support of national and international funding agencies and individual private donors. It works in diverse fields from water and sanitation to health and works to improve the quality of life of the marginalized community. However, the security agencies have opined that the organization has used the donation funds to construct mosques in the Faridkot district.
